The Indigo Illusionist
by Pearl-Posts
Summary: There are two rules in the Host Club. One, don't steal their spotlight. Two, don't cross Kyoya. Clever illusionist Mizuki Aihana may have broken both of those rules on her first day. Now, she must use all the tricks up her sleeve to protect herself, including yet another ingenious plan, one which may ruin the Host Club once and for all.
1. Mr Sparkles and Glitter

**I know, I know, I've already done an OC for Ouran, but I don't care! Whoo!**

 **This is a trial run for this brand new story, for all of you who read** ** _Ouran Infiltrated/Ouran Stolen_** **and liked them. If you don't know what either of those are, go check them out on my profile.**

 **Anyway, enjoy!**

Let's get one thing straight: I am not a magician. That's a term for old men in fantasy storybooks that live alone in towers and Harry Houdini. As it so happens, I am not an old man in a tower nor am I Harry Houdini. I am a fifteen year old high school first year student named Mizuki Kokoro Aihana.

I am an illusionist.

This may sound kind of egocentric, but I've always found myself rather pretty. Here's why it's not egocentric: everyone else thinks so, too. Silver hair, not dyed, thank you very much, one brown eye and one green one, not contacts, thank you very much, slender nose, full pink lips, extra delicate jaw, all real, thank you very much.

Because I'm so pretty, in elementary and middle school, I was popular, or was at least forced to be. Girls would invite me to sleepovers and birthday parties and consider me part of their little cliques. I'm rich, too, and smart, which makes me automatically the perfect candidate for popularity. Boys would leave letters in my locker almost daily, fawn over me. It got to an almost embarrassing point.

But all I wanted to do was be normal, so I went to a commoners' middle school, but nobody treated me correctly, as if I was some kind of princess. It was pretty weird. So I enrolled in a more suitable school, Lobelia or something like that.

That is, until I met _him_.

He's like every boy that tried to impress me rolled into one, stuffed full of overbearing happiness, and a whole lot hotter. But here's the weird thing: I don't really mind him all that much.

I walk down the street, reading off a paper I'd printed out, a long list of school supplies. My brother typed it out for me, so I'm getting his while I'm out, too. The streets are crowded, that much is obvious by the sound around me.

"Ah!" I exclaim, falling back to land in a puddle, soiling my jeans and shirt. I am stunned for a moment, before I wince, wipe my hands off on my shirt, squeeze the water from my clothing, and look to see who it is I hit.

"Sorry," I say, still sitting in the puddle.

"Are you alright, pretty girl?" He says, offering me his hand. I take it, gasping when he pulls me close. "I'm very sorry. I didn't see you. Please, forgive me."

"Um, yeah. Okay," I say, wiggling out of his hold and putting some distance between us. "What are you, a pervert of some kind?"

"A pervert!" He gasps. "I am no such thing! I only wanted your forgiveness!"

"You're a pervert, senpai," A girl notes monotonously, appearing behind him and shoving him out of the way. "I'm Haruhi Fujioka, and that's my senpai, Tamaki. I'm sorry about him, but hes... an overachiever."

"Mizuki Aihana," I introduce. I take in her clothing, her wide eyes, her small frame. "I've never talked to a commoner outside of school before. I think you guys are really cool, having to live like you're camping every day!"

"I agree!" Tamaki reappears. "Commoners are the most fascinating people! Say..." He leans closer, his eyes wide and deep purple. "Aren't you a commoner?"

"Well, I went to a commoners' middle school but technically no. My family runs the Aihana Corporation, specializing in sweets and things like that."

"If you're not a commoner... what school are you going to?" He asks.

"I'm enrolling in a highschool, um, Lobelia or something like that," I say, glancing at my paper. "Yeah, Lobelia Girls' Academy."

"Lobelia?" Tamaki gasps. "Don't tell me you're with _them_?"

"With who?" This guy is weirder and weirder, but he's entertaining.

"The Zuka Club! Surely you've heard of them? You know, big costumes and singing and dancing. They tried to steal my precious Haruhi!" Tamaki squeals, hugging Haruhi and swinging her around in the middle of the street, much to her discomfort.

"Nope, never heard of them," I shrug. "I'm pretty much new in town. I moved here to my family's second estate from Karuizawa, but it gets kinda boring after a while."

"I know!" Tamaki shouts, releasing Haruhi and bounding back over to me. "You should enroll in Ouran and stay away from those mean Lobelia girls!"

"I don't really care where I go," I say. "As long as it's not one of those crazy commoners' schools. No offense, of course, Fujioka."

"None taken," she smiles.

That said, we part ways.

I know I shouldn't take what random crazy perverts say on the street to heart, but I do. Maybe, if everyone at this Ouran school is as crazy as them and me, I may actually like the school. It would be nice to enjoy my time at school, to have real friends that don't want to exploit you for your good looks and money.

I shake my head, smiling at my own stupidity. That's crazy.

Or maybe not.

I turn back to look over my shoulder, only to see through the crowd Tamaki Souh looking back over his. We meet eyes for a moment, violet clashing with green and brown, then he raises his hand and waves to me. I return it gratefully, then spin around and walk back into the shopping district.

This could very well be the worst decision of my life, and therefore could also be the best.


	2. The Bloody Fountain Trick

**Thank you to the one and only reflectioncat for favoriting and following me and** ** _The Indigo Illusionist_** **! I appreciate your support!**

"Why didn't you go shopping?" I yell up the stairs. "You're the only one who can drive!"

"Not legally!" My brother's voice shouts back.

"But you still do!" I counter, freeing my wrists from the shopping bags and throwing them down in the entryway. "Get down here and get your things!"

I hear his bedroom door open, and my brother practically jumps down the stairs, sliding on his socks across the tile and picking at the bags.

My brother, Takumi Yori, looks nothing like me. While I have curly silver hair, he has swept caramel hair. While I have one brown eye and one green, he has a vibrant cobalt blue. Where I am slender in the face and shoulders, he is much more filled out, with a wider jaw, wider nose, thicker eyebrows, and broader shoulders.

"Thanks, Mizu," Takumi says, picking up a bag and starting back up the stairs.

"Wait, Takumi," I call out, picking up the other bag and and following him. "I think that maybe I'm not going to Lobelia."

"Why not?" He glances at me.

"Well, I met these kids on the street, about as old as me, Ouran Academy students. They said... bad things go on at Lobelia."

"What kind of bad things?"

"I don't know. They didn't go into any details, but it seemed pretty desperate. I don't think I should go there."

"Okay," he says after a while. "I'll hop online and get you into Ouran."

"Are you sure it's no trouble?" I ask hopefully.

"None at all," he smiles. "Anything for my baby sister."

"Thanks, Takumi!" I hug him.

I'm not very good around most people, but Takumi's really friendly. Whenever we go out together, he does all the talking while I just stand there looking fairly awkward. Most people, if they're not automatically attracted to me that is, don't like me all that much. I'm rude and what I like to call brutally honest but everyone else just calls "having no filter".

X-***-X

I heft my bag over my shoulder, smirking at the now familiar entrance courtyard. The fountain, last night only a stone skeleton, is spluttering with life. I walk casually over to it, and check the time on my phone. 8:25 exactly. Perfect. I throw my bag on the stones surrounding the fountain, and then jump up on the lip.

"Ready, Takumi?" I whisper into the cheap earpiece nestled against the shell of my ear.

"Go ahead," he replies.

"Everyone!" I call, my voice booming over the outdoor courtyard through the PA system. Dozens of faces look up at me, some annoyed, some bored, but all soon to be amazed. "You don't know me, but my name is Mizuki Kokoro Aihana. I'm from Karuizawa. And guess what? I am going to make this fountain gush with blood!"

A few oohs and little sounds of surprise go around. Ever the performer, I pause for dramatic effect, listening to my brother's sounds of concentration in my ear.

"Crap, one sec. We have problems. Stall them, Mizu," he says.

"Would you all like to see this?" I prompt. A couple scattered 'Yeahs' and a 'Sure' go up. I slump my shoulders.

"Fine, fine," I feint disappointment. "I get it, I'm new here. But, come on, a fountain running with blood? That's pretty cool, right?" I grin, leaning forward towards the growing crowd, cupping my hand around my ear. "Wouldn't you like to see it?"

Only a few more shouts of agreement. Takumi says into my ear that everything's ready when I say the word.

"Okay, you don't believe me," I smile, straightening. "So I'll show you." I spread my feet apart, raise my arms to shoulder height, and face the crowd with one last amused giggle. Then, I throw my head back and clap my hands dramatically over my head. I hear Takumi press a button and behind me, the water silents. I stay still until I hear the last of it drains from the stone bed.

I right myself, jumping up and down, shaking out my arms.

"Whoo," I laugh. "My magic is a little bit rusty. I haven't done a trick like this since the last day of middle school."

Finally, I sigh, turn around to face the empty fountain. I raise my arms again, this time towards the fountain, and, after a small pause, clap my hands together again. I hear a gurgle deep within the stonework, and the faint screeching of metal. Then, a small ribbon of red leaks from the spout. I cross my arms smugly as the ones in front lean in closer and closer as the ribbon widens into a trickle, and then to an all out stream. After one more gurgle of submission, the fountain flows steadily with blood.

There is silence, and then sudden applause. I jump off the lip of the fountain. The onlookers swallow me up, asking me how I did it and one boy even asks me if I'll teach him to do it. I only laugh and say the classic line of illusionists never revealing their secrets.

"Excuse me, Miss Aihana," a boy approaches me. I break away from my previous conversation with a small smile and a wave, turning to him.

"Yes?"

"The trick you performed was ingenious. It took me a while to figure out that you had placed a static canister of fake blood inside the fountain and set it up with a remote operating system. Was the device on you or controlled by an accomplice?"

"Shh!" I hush, clamping a hand over his mouth. He glares at me from behind his glasses, and removes my hand from his face. "You know, I don't much appreciate some random guy coming in here and giving me away. Who are you?"

"My name is Kyoya Ootori," he says, flipping open a black notebook and writing something down in it. I stand on my toes to see what it is, but he glares at me and tilts it away. I smile at him. He closes his book and says, "Why don't we talk in private?"

"Sure," I agree cheerily, following on his heels as he walks across the courtyard.

 ** _\- How Mizuki Pulled It Off -_**

 ** _The previous night, she and Takumi created a couple gallons of fake blood using red dye, water, and iron fillings to give it that weird blood smell. They replaced it with the water tank and relied only on the water already circulating through the structure to not give them away. When Takumi presses a button, the water stops flowing, drains out of the fountain, and at another push of the button, the fake blood mixture replaces it._**

 ** _Meanwhile, Takumi hacks into the Ouran Academy PA system and remotely syncs it to Mizuki's side of the earpiece. This way, her voice is broadcast throughout the entire school, interrupting classes and therefore drawing more attention to herself. This way, her tricks are known and instantly famous. Using the natural instinct to talk about things that aren't normal, Mizuki and Takumi are sure to be known._**


	3. The Girl in the Suit Jacket

**Thank you so much to lumenite88 for the follow, favorites, and review! You're so nice! :D**

 **Warning: Plot takeoff in progress**

Fame and popularity are two different things. Fame is being known, being a separate thing from the crowd. When you're famous, everyone respects you, and you're remembered. On the other hand, popularity is being loved by only a few and hated by everyone else.

There is one similarity between the two that made me realize that I wanted to be famous and not popular, and that is influence.

Kyoya Ootori leads me silently through the hallways, up some stairs, and to a door. He opens it without a word, beckoning me inside.

"Mizuki," I hear my name in my ear. Crap, I forgot about Takumi. "Where'd you go? I disconnected you form the system."

"Thanks," I whisper back. "This boy named Ootori wanted to talk to me. He didn't give me any details, but he knows how we did our trick and I'm going to try to lead him off it. I'll meet you outside when I'm finished."

"Okay, see you then. Don't get into any trouble."

"I won't. Bye."

"Bye, Mizu." I hear the beep of disconnection in my ear.

I finally turn to see where exactly Kyoya Ootori lead me. Dozens of ladies sit at tables and on stuffed armchairs, hanging on to a few scattered boys' arms and staring at them with wide eyes. The whole places sparkles and smells of cake, tea, and desperation.

"Kyo-chan!" A cry goes up.

"Kyoya! You're late!"

"Mommy dearest! You're finally here! And oh, a first time guest!" That voice sounds so familiar, but I can't quite place it.

"I know what this is," I say. "A host club! I heard about these, but they don't have many in Karuizawa."

No sooner do I say it than a pair of twins wielding roses appear in front of me, eyes hooded and looking down their noses at me. I almost choke when one puts his arm around the other and they both lean down so I can look into their eyes properly. They say in unison, "Come in. We love first time guests."

"Hikaru! Kaoru!" The voice I can't quite place comes, pushing the two aside. "Stop harassing her! I apologize, princess, but these devilish- Oh."

"Tamaki Souh?" I laugh. "Hi. Nice to see you again."

"Oh, my princess! You followed my advice! I'm so flattered!" He squeals, taking my hand and kissing my knuckles. I blush, yanking my hand away.

"Wait," One of the twins says. "You know her?"

"We met on the street two days ago," I explain. "He told me to enroll in Ouran instead of Lobelia Girls' Academy."

"Good move, boss," The other twin says.

"So what is this?" I ask, trying not to look at them. "That host club you were talking about?"

"Yes!" He gasps. "It is! You should come by, my princess. You will not be disappointed."

"My name isn't princess," I say, pushing past him and into the sparkling room. "It's Mizuki Aihana. And this looks... not that weird." Lie.

"You're Mizuki Aihana?" One of the twins says, both of them leaning close to me. "We heard you over the PA. Did you really make the fountain go bloody?"

"Yep, I did." I glow. "I gotta go now. My brother is waiting for me." With one last glance over my shoulder, I exit the room and stride down the hall. I look back over my shoulder as I leave, only to see Kyoya Ootori and his black notebook. I bite my lip in frustration. This is going to be a lot harder than I thought.

 **X-***-X**

The next day in class, I am doodling in my notebook as the teacher calls roll when I am tapped on the shoulder. I turn in my chair to see one of those twins grinning at me. I didn't notice him or that Haruhi girl when I came in, but I glance at her shortly.

"Yeah?" I ask, resting my hands on his desk.

"I'm Kaoru," the redhead introduces.

"Mizuki," I respond.

"Yeah, I know. I was just wondering, are you coming back to the club?"

"I don't know," I sigh. "That Tamaki person is pretty interesting. What do you even do at a host club?"

"You entertain ladies," Kaoru explains. "Well, we do. You sit there and be entertained." He smiles a catlike grin at me. I fail to contain my own smile.

"I meant you in particular," I gesture to him and the other one, Hikaru, I remember, who is now listening over his brother's arm. "You know, if I were to come in and request you, what would I expect?"

They smirk at each other, and I grin to myself. After a moment, they turn back to me and say in unison, "Brotherly love, of course."

"Do you have to do that here?" Haruhi hisses, and my technicolor eyes find her. "The teacher is going to-"

"Hey," I interrupt. "Why are you wearing the males' uniform?"

 **Ah, yes. Here we have a plot structure in its natural habitat.**

 **Hey, hey, hey, guess what. I had an idea. No spoilers yet, but expect much dramas and many laughs. You know, as per usual with .**


	4. Music Room Three (Again)

**Whoo, it's thank you time!**

 **Thank you to Silverfury01 for the review. Thanks to Roger-comics for the follow. Thanks to both WritingSoul and YoYoYoItzMe for favoriting and following. :D**

 **I realize this story is getting pretty cliché, but if you've read me before, you'll know that I try my best to not disappoint you! As much as it's a host's job to please the ladies, it is a fanfiction writer's job to please the fans!**

As soon as we reach the music room, I am absolutely certain that those twins gave me the wrong time. I open the door and immediately notice that I am the only girl besides Haruhi in the room.

"Takumi," I say quietly. "This doesn't seem right."

"What did I say about you getting into trouble?" he asks, gripping my forearm. "Kagami would kill me."

"Please don't talk about her," I grit. "Not now. We have stuff to do, remember?"

"Right, right. But we're talking about it when we get home."

"If you say so," I sigh.

"How could you!" Tamaki calls, rushing to meet us and taking me by the shoulders. "You knew my Haruhi's secret all along? And I thought I could trust you!"

"You're very physical," I shove his hands away. "I didn't know that gender was a secret. I just wanted to know why she's wearing a boys' uniform."

"Look, senpai," Haruhi comes up behind him. "It doesn't really matter. Leave her alone."

"What's even happening?" I demand. "Why is she wearing a boys' uniform?"

"Wait, the scholarship student is a girl?" Takumi blushes beside me. "Sorry, no offense or anything, but I thought you were a guy."

"None taken," Haruhi smiles. "I don't care what gender I'm recognized as."

"Oh," Takumi mumbles. I look at him from out of the corner of my eye. This isn't like him at all.

"You're being too loud!" One of the twins hisses from further back in the room.

"Why does it matter?" I ask, nudging the door closed with my heel. "She said she doesn't care either way."

"For your information," Kyoya interjects. "Haruhi is currently bound to the club due to certain irreversible circumstances which require her to masquerade as a boy. Until these circumstances are remedied, Haruhi will remain a host. Do you understand?"

I cross my arms. "Have you stopped to think about her feelings even once?"

No answer, only a very tense silence in which all eyes are on the glasses clad second year. He pretends to ignore us, writing something down in his ominous black notebook. I press my lips together, unsatisfied.

"So, what do you do about this, Tama-chan?" A young blond boy atop a giant of a man's shoulders pipes up innocently.

"Good question, Honey-senpai," Tamaki dissolves the tension. He leans closer to me, inspecting me with wide eyes and a thoughtful finger to his lips. Finally, he straightens and turns briskly to face the rest of his club. "From this moment on, you will be the host club's personal maid!"

 **X-***-X**

When we get home, I stomp to the kitchen, grab an apple, and sit myself down stubbornly on the kitchen floor, demanding that the chef get himself out of the room. Takumi is on my heels, his brow drawn in worry.

"They have no right to treat me like that!" I gripe, taking an exasperated bite out of my apple.

"So just deny them," Takumi suggests, hefting himself up on the counter and swinging his feet. "You don't have to do anything for them."

"But I do," I protest. "That's the thing. See, remember how I said that Kyoya Ootori knows how we did the bloody fountain trick? Well, he'll obviously tell the entire school if I deny him." I groan, banging my head against the cabinet door furiously. "It's the perfect trap!"

"Mizuki," Takumi says urgently but gently. "Can we talk about Kagami now?"

"Can we not?" I retort, but he only ignores me.

"You have to get over this fear of talking to her."

"What would I even say to her? Takumi, she didn't come here with us."

"She stayed in Karuizawa to take care of Oboro. He's sick again and she says hes not getting any better."

"They have doctors here too, you know."

"Mizuki," Takumi says urgently. "Kagami talked to me. She said Oboro's in the hospital this time. The doctors say he has about six weeks."

"I'm not going to see him!" I shout, jumping to my feet and hurling my apple at Takumi's head angrily. He ducks and it knocks into a vase of flowers, sending ceramic shards and water everywhere. My sudden anger boils hotly in my stomach, ripening my throat and making me bite my lip.

"Mizuki," Takumi demands. "You'd ignore our sick little brother because of this grudge against Kagami?"

"Yeah," I say coldly. "I would." That said, I storm out of the kitchen and up to my room, sitting sternly on my bed. I know I let my anger get away from me in the kitchen, and I know that what I said isn't true. I love both Oboro and Kagami, even if they did stay in Karuizawa and I haven't heard from them in four weeks and three days. I'm still angry at them, though, even if Oboro does have lung cancer and Kagami is my twin sister.

I feel a lurch in my heart. My ten year old brother has lung cancer and I'm still holding a grudge against Kagami. Against my will, I feel my throat clog up and a tear slide down my cheek.

 **Cries, so very real.**

 **Anyway, if you've read any of my OC fanfictions before, such as** ** _Ouran Infiltrated_** **and/or** ** _Dancing With Death_** **(Check those out!) you'll know about my Name Puzzle Games! If you don't, my Name Puzzle Games are the meanings behind the characters' names.** ** _The Indigo Illusionist_** **'s Game will be revealed shortly, so if you want to beat me to it, go try to find the meanings behind the names that you know so far!**

 **Good luck, thank you, and read on!**


	5. A Grand Pirate-Related Fiasco

**Thank you so, so much to lillyannp for reviewing and playing the Name Game! The answers, why I chose them, ect. are after the chapter!**

I knock on the music room doors hesitantly, not knowing what to expect when they opened. There's no answer, so I unlatch them and slip inside.

"Hello?" I call, shivering at my echoing voice.

"Hey," someone calls back, and I almost jump out of my skin. I look towards the sound of the voice and see Kaoru sitting alone on the couch.

"You're here alone?" I ask. "Where's Hikaru?"

He startles. "You can tell us apart?"

"Well, yeah," I say, sitting down next to him. "Can't everyone?"

"Only Haruhi," he admits, resting his head on his hand. "She says that Hikaru's more mischievous and I'm more mature or something."

"Oh," I shrug. "I didn't notice. Must be a twin thing then." I realize all too late that I let that slip.

"A twin thing? You have a twin?"

"Yeah. My sister Kagami Nozomu is still in Karuizawa taking care of my sick brother. But, I don't like to talk about it."

"I can't imagine if Hikaru and I were separated, It must be awful." Kaoru ponders.

A sudden memory comes to mind, from a few years ago. Kagami and I were about thirteen or fourteen. We were playing in the Karuizawa estate's huge yard, I sitting in her lap and she braiding my hair with indigo flowers. It was the year before Oboro was diagnosed with cancer and when Kagami and I were actually on more than just barely passable speaking terms with one another.

"Can we just not talk about this any more please?" I beg, raising an eyebrow at him. "She and I are barely on speaking terms right now. So, when is everyone else getting here anyway? I'm so bored."

"Soon enough. Hikaru is in the bathroom and I have no idea where everyone else is."

"They're coming," I place Haruhi's voice with the sound of the door opening. "You seem upset. Is everything okay?"

"I'm fine," I shrug. "What does a host club maid even do?"

"Ah, Mizu-chan!" This time it's Tamaki. "A host club maid will do things like bring us and the ladies coffee."

"So I'm basically a waitress?" I sigh. "That, I can deal with."

Eventually, everyone arrives. A large box is dragged out of a closet, and the boy named Honey starts clapping. Haruhi sighs. Tamaki and Kyoya begin passing out colorful plastic packages. I stand on my toes to see over Hikaru's shoulder.

"What are those?" I ask. Kyoya presses one into my chest.

"Until we can find a more suitable role for you where we can thoroughly keep an eye on you, you are to wear this while participating in club activities."

"But what is it?" I protest, inspecting the transparent plastic wrapping.

"The prep room's over there." Haruhi points to a door. She's about to turn away, but gives me a sympathetic look over her shoulder. A shiver rolls down my spine.

 **X_-*-_X**

"Oh HELL _NO_!" I scream, flinging open the door. "What... Why are you... Is this even legal?" I stomp across the tile, at the same time noticing that the host club have replaced their sky blue blazers and slacks with pirate cosplay, all billowy shirts, rubber boots, and silk sashes.

I myself am dressed in what can only be described as an old schooner's bartender outfit, which consists of an off the shoulder corset and a knee length skirt. My boots are left unlaced and my hair is drawn up in a high ponytail.

"It is perfectly legal, Miss Aihana," Kyoya says, a smirk on his face. "Since you willingly agreed to be our maid."

"No I-" I begin to protest, but shut myself up. I am willingly here and no one openly blackmailed me, so I have no argument. Damn that Kyoya Ootori. Instead, I sigh and say, "Fine, what do you want me to do?"

 **Here we are, the Name Puzzle Game!**

 **Mizuki Kokoro - Mizuki means (among other things) hope for success, which she does. Kokoro means heart, mind, and soul. That will come into play later.**

 **Takumi Yori - Takumi means skillful, which he is, and Yori means rely. I chose this name because he is both skillful and because Mizuki relies on him to help her pull of her tricks.**

 **Kagami Nozomu - Kagami means mirror; she is Mizuki's twin sister. Nozomu means hope, wish, desire. This also comes into play later.**

 **Oboro - Haziness, unclear, ect. I think this is fairly obvious. XD**

 **Aihana - Ai means indigo and hana means flower.**

 **Thanks for playing!**


	6. Table Tricks

I retreated into the prep room and closed the door not long after the club opened. This is so incredibly embarrassing! Of course, why didn't I see it? Someone is going to steal my fame. I'll never be able to show my face in public again. This host club will ruin me!

There comes a knock on the door. I glare daggers at it in the brief second before someone begins talking.

"Mizuki-chan? Kyo-chan says you need to come out now."

"Fine," I groan. I push myself up from the floor and straighten out my costume. Before leaving, I dig a coin pouch out of the school bag I threw on the floor. Reaching the door, I smirk to myself, brandishing the bag in front of me.

If you can't beat them, join them.

I open the door with a flourish. Upon seeing the room, I let my gaze wander and pick out a subject at random. I decide on the young boy called Honey-senpai and his much older companion, who's name I have yet to learn.

I walk over to their table, standing there smiling until Honey-senpai notices me and says, "Oh, its Mizu-chan!"

"Hi!" I greet cheerily. "Do you want to see a magic trick?"

"Oh, you're the girl who turned the fountain bloody," A blonde guest says. I nod and smile at her.

"Yes, I am. So do you want to see a magic trick?" I ask again. The girl shrugs. Honey-senpai claps his hands happily.

I open the coin pouch and, my fingers still inside, slip a fake rubber thumb on to my own. I then grab a bright red silk cloth, shove it into the fake thumb so it's concealed, and proceed to awe them all with only parlor tricks.

 **X-***-X**

 _Ouran Academy courtyard, 4:12 pm_

After the host club closes up for the day, the club's official members stand in a loose circle next to the fountain (Now running with water but if you look closely, still stained red in some places and reeking of iron).

"It pains me to see a lady conflicting herself like this!" Tamaki dotes. "We have to help her!"

"What does she need help with, Tamaki-senpai?" Haruhi asks. "Maybe Mizuki-chan is just normally like this."

"Actually, boss, there was something she mentioned to me," Kaoru speaks up.

"What's that?"

"Well, she mentioned that she had a sister in Karuizawa that she's not on speaking terms with."

"Oh!" Tamaki gasps. "We have to help them reconcile! Did she mention a name?"

"Yeah," Kaoru ponders. "Kagami, I think."

 **X-***-X**

"Takumi?" Are you in here?" I call, peeking in to the classroom where he told me he'd stay to wait for me and study in peace.

"Yeah, Mizuki. Ready to go?" He slings his bag over his shoulder and I fall into step with him as we leave. As were walking, Takumi stops and leans over my shoulder to look out the window. He grunts and says, "I wonder what they're talking about so intensely."

I look over my shoulder and see the host club in a circle talking importantly by the fountain and shrug. "No idea, and I don't really care."


	7. The Demon Mirror Trick

**I rushed to get this done for you (Even though it took forever). This is also a longer chapter in response to the suggestions.**

 **Thanks to lilyannp and WritingSoul for the reviews!**

Two days later, I walk importantly into the music room.

"Hi Mizu-chan!" Honey-senpai greets. "Tama-chan has a surprise for you! It's-" Before he can continue, the man who's name I learned was Mori clamps a hand over his mouth, mumbling to him. The redhead twins slink in front of him and grab each of my arms.

"Pay not attention to Honey-senpai," They order, spinning me towards the door. "Come on. We're going on a field trip."

"What do you mean?" I protest as I am lead out the door. "Wait! I should tell Takumi where we're going!"

"There's no time," Tamaki grins, gliding past us and turning around, walking backwards. "You're going to love this, I promise!"

"Where are we going!" I demand as I am practically thrown into the back of a limousine. The rest of the host club piles in, trapping me.

"To the park," Haruhi supplies, leaning over Kyoya to smile at me. "We just have a surprise for you. Don't worry, it'll be great!"

 **X-***-X**

Before the car even rolls to a complete stop, I am pushed out the door. I stumble over the curb and manage to land on my feet, a very hard thing to do with a blindfold tied around your eyes. If anything, these hosts certainly have a flair for the dramatic. I can respect that, so I just went with it.

A hand grabs my arm, leading me at a comfortable pace. I try to ask once again what exactly they're going on about but my questions are brushed off with reassurances that I'll love this surprise.

"Okay, here we go!" Tamaki says from behind me. The blindfold falls off my eyes and I blink in the sunlight.

The first thing I notice is a lake. We are at a public park that is situated on a field by the edge of a crystalline lake. There are joggers and people walking dogs as well as children screeching from the playground. All of this, but I can't see it.

I can see the back of her head. She is looking down at her lap, probably reading. I recognize her crew cut silver hair and her thin shoulders.

I feel a tear slip down my cheek, not because I'm actually seeing her now, not because I have no idea what I'm supposed to do. No, I'll figure that out. I'm crying, I think, because Kagami is wearing an indigo flower crown on her head.

And sitting next to her on the bench is a second.

"Kagami!" I call. My feet remember how to move and I cover the distance between us in huge strides. She looks over her shoulder, and her mismatched eyes light up when she sees me.

"Mizuki!" She calls back, just as I reach her. I hesitate reaching out to her; it's been too long. But my sister smiles at me, her eyes crinkling at the corners in an oh so familiar way, and I hug her.

"Wait, Mizuki, I made this for you," she says, squirming out of my hug and placing the second flower crown on my head. I grin at her.

"How are you even here?" I ask hastily. "What about Oboro and Karuizawa and... How long are you staying?"

"Your friends called me and said that I had to come and see you here. Oboro is in a hospital, so I'm staying with you and Takumi here for a while. I mean, if thats okay," she says in her sweetly tiny voice.

"Yeah," I say quickly. "Yeah, that's perfect."

"Great," Kagami grins toothily. "Do you want to go now?"

"Yeah," I agree, taking her hand. "Let's go."

X-***-X

"You brought no luggage?" I ask, sitting on one of the guest beds.

"Not really," Kagami admits, sitting next to me. The sun has set and the room is lit with the usual electric glow.

"You can borrow my clothes," I decide, standing to go. When I reach the doorway, I stop and turn back over my shoulder with a gasp. "Hey, Kagami?"

"Yeah?"

"Do you want to do an illusion with me?"

 **X-***-X**

The next day at the host club, the door to the prep room is left carelessly open and my hair is tied up to resemble a shorter style. I sigh and walk into the prep room, kicking the door open and leaving it wide.

My reflection on the wall mirror enters the field of cool glass. I fiddle with my bangs for a while, pretending to by interested in my appearance. I run my hands along my face, watching in satisfaction as my reflection copies me. I lick my lips. Go.

There is the shattering of glass (I kicked a glass trinket hard into the wall) and a hand reaches through the mirror, grasping my neck and holding me firmly. I scream in terror as my reflection steps slowly out from the mirror and have to hold back a smirk as a chorus of similar bloodcurdling screams fill the air.

"Okay, I can't," Kagami laughs, her hand removing itself from my neck.

"It was just an illusion, you guys," I laugh, addressing the club's guests. The screams are replaced by hesitant, nervous laughter, and gradually the room settles back into its normal tender, uplifting chatter.

"I'm really excited that you're here," I say to Kagami, taking her hand and pulling her into the music room, at the same time letting my hair down and tossing it down my back. "Who do you want to meet first? Some of these losers are less idiotic than others, but they're all pretty much crazy."

"Oh, I don't... I'm not sure," she stutters, watching something fixedly. I follow her gaze and smirk, pulling her along once more to whom she was staring at.

"Hey, you guys, sorry to interrupt, but Kagami wants to meet you," I say to the redhead twins.

"Nice to meet you, Kagami-chan," Kaoru says brightly. "I'm Kaoru."

"Hikaru," the other says.

"You're the host club's maid, right?" One of the guests asks, regarding me with narrowed eyes. "Why don't you leave us alone and go get me some tea?"

I cross my arms and look down my nose at her, pressing my lps together in a firm line. No one gets to talk to me like that! So I say back to her with a lilt in my voice, "Why don't you go make it yourself, or do you know how?"

"Hey! Don't talk to me like that, you dog! Now go get me some tea and leave us alone."

"You're being rude," Kagami says next to me, her voice small yet stern.

"You're the maid's sister, right?" The guest says haughtily. "Do you think you're so important just because you have their attention today? You should let the big kids talk and go help the other one make me my tea."

Before I can help myself, my fist is sailing towards the guest's face. I want to punch that annoying smirk right off her painted lips! I feel my mouth twist into a snarl and my knuckles connect with her cheekbone. She wails. My fist is up again for another strike, but instead of punching her pretty face again, my hand hits something soft.

"M- Mori-senapi!" I gasp. His gaze is neutral, but I suppose I imagine it to be cold, and that's why I'm scared.

"Mizuki-chan!" Tamaki calls from behind me. I turn around, my hand still curled into a fist and dwarfed by Mori's own. Tamaki reaches the scene, gripping my shoulders. "What in the world were you thinking?"

"This creep was acting like I was her personal servant!" I protest, glancing at the girl who is clutching her cheek with both hands and crying silently, her eyes pitiful and wide.

"That doesn't give you the right to hit her," Tamaki says.

"Actually boss," Hikaru speaks up. "She insulted Kagami-san."

"And she was being really rude to Mizuki-chan," Kaoru inputs.

"Was she?" Tamaki questions. Hikaru, Kaoru, and Kagami all agree that indeed, she was, and the girl is swiftly asked to leave the host club. She runs out, her head bowed in shame, and a nice bruise and cut to remember me by.

 **X-***-X**

"Hikaru, Kaoru, wait a second," I call, running after the twins and catching them just as they are climbing into their ar to go home. "We never got to thank you for sticking up for us at the host club earlier."

"Don't worry about it," Hikaru says.

"Yeah," Kaoru agrees.

"But why'd you do it?" Kagami asks quietly. "You don't know us well."

"Isn't it obvious?" The say in unison, matching grins forming on their matching faces. "We like you." With that, they get into their car and leave us staring at one another, dumbfounded and with even more questions.

 **FYI, when the twins said that they liked them, they meant it in a platonic way (The same way they say that Haruhi is their toy) so please no hate for rushing into things!**

 **No spoilers.**

 **Peace!**


	8. Cursed Redheads

**Thanks bunches to JustAnotherKawaiiOtaku and to lilyannp for their support. (A MESSAGE FOR LILYANNP: I feel the same, actually, although I couldn't think of a way to fix it. I'll make up for it, though, promise.)**

 **This chapter is short and a long time in the making (I've been busy, school is starting soon and my mom does not approve of fanfiction XD) but the length is remedied with plenty of drama!**

 **Enjoy!**

"Hey, Mizuki, where's Kagami?" Takumi asks, placing his bought lunch down next to me and sliding into the seat.

"Bathroom, I think."

"Since Kagami got here two days ago, you guys have really seemed closer."

"I guess," I sigh, stabbing my food feebly.

"Is something wrong?" Takumi frowns. "It isn't that host club is it? They cause too much trouble for their own good! I swear, if they did something, I'll-"

"Takumi, shut up," I cut him off. "It's just... Yesterday, when Kagami and I were leaving, we talked to those twins, Hikaru and Kaoru, and they said they liked us. It's just been bothering me a little bit. I mean, I just met them about a week ago."

"It sounds to me like you made some friends," Takumi grins at me, patting me on the back. "That's my little sister, always so popular!"

There's that word again, popular. I don't want to be popular, I want to be... famous.

"Hey, aren't you Aihana Mizuki?" I look up to see a girl with fiery hair. I notice immediately that there's something different about her. Maybe it's her eyes, warm and friendly yet cold and calculating blue. Maybe it's the way she carries herself, oh so regally. Maybe its her smirk, her demanding aire, her confident nature.

"Yeah," I say. "Who are you?"

"My name is Leiko Rin," the girl says, sitting down across from me, settling her head in the palm of her hand. "I've seen your tricks, actually. You're very clever."

"I didn't know I had fans," I laugh.

"I'm not a fan," she says casually. "I just said that I thought you were clever. In fact, I don't really like you."

"That's really rude," Takumi says from next to me. "Don't talk to Mizuki that way!" I cross my arms.

"Sensitive," Leiko Rin sighs. She places her hand on the table, and I notice a leather charm bracelet. There's a small square jewel on it, pale green laced with gold. It strikes me as pretty and familiar, although I can't figure out why. She taps it with a smirk. "Anyway, I should get going."

"Bye," I say hesitantly as she stands up.

"Oh, one more thing," She stops to lean down, her eyes glowing with mirth. "Remember, Mizuki, death always wins. She always gets her price." The redhead turns on her toes and walks away as if nothing happened.

"Was that me or is she really creepy?" I ask Takumi.

"She was creepy," my brother says.

"Hm, thought so," I nod thoughtfully. "Should we just go, or-" I am cut off by a loud yell from the doorway. Murmurs arise from the assembled crowd. I don't try to catch them, instead turning in my seat and sighing.

"MIZUKI!"

"Bye, Takumi," I sigh, standing from my lunch. "I'll see you at home."

"What do you want, Tamaki?" I ask, reaching the aforementioned yeller. "I was eating and I'm still hungry."

"We need to talk to you," the host says, grabbing my wrist and yanking me down the hall. "Come on!"

 **X-***-X**

For some reason, the entire host club is gathered in the music room. They're attention is focused on something that I can't see over Kyoya's head. Tamaki pulls me further into the room and towards the couch that obviously holds all the attention.

"What's going on?" I ask.

"Haru-chan is in trouble!" Honey-senpai exclaims.

"What? Why?"

Tamaki seats himself next to her, placing a comforting hand on her arm, only to be brushed away.

"I'm seriously fine," Haruhi says. "I just feel really bad for them."

"Bad for who?" I question. "What's going on?"

"It seems Haruhi's neighbors are getting evicted," Kyoya inputs from behind his black notebook.

"Oh," I sigh. "I thought it was something serious."

"They're really good people," Haruhi continues. "But their daughter is sick and they're short on money."

"Don't worry, darling Haruhi!" Tamaki exclaims, jumping up. "We shall donate money to them and then they shall keep their home!"

"No, I have a better idea," I interrupt, crossing my arms. "I'll fix this by the end of the week."

"How, Mizu-chan?" Honey-senpai asks.

"An illusionist never reveals her secrets," I say dramatically, walking away to go find Takumi. Ever the performer, I stop in the doorway and announce, "For my next trick, I will steal a memory straight from someone's head!"

 **Haha, illusionists...**

 **...Mizuki is so fun to write. I'm enjoying this a whole lot.**


	9. Stealing a Memory

**Wow, I have so many thanks to give away!**

 **Thank you to lilyannp and the anonymous guest for reviewing! (Message for lilyannp: Leiko Rin is actually a cool character, just wait and see.) Thanks to ClaritaNox for favoriting/following and thank you to Kaye Wonderland for favoriting/following this story as well as favoriting my first OC fic,** ** _Ouran Infiltrated_** **!**

 **Anyway, enjoy!**

"Ow," I say, rubbing my head. "That was rude."

The woman with the baseball bat glowers at me and raises it higher, exclaiming, "Who are you and why are you in my house?" I shove the bobby pin I used to pick the lock into my silver hair, two tiny flowers balanced behind my ears.

"Mizuki Kokoro Aihana," I bow dramatically. "I snuck in here because you weren't answering the doorbell and I need to talk to you. I'm a friend of your neighbor Fujioka and I'm here to tell you to go ahead an unpack all of your boxes. We're saving your home."

"Why would you do that?" I grin noticing that the baseball bat is still raised, but my face falls when I try to tell her the reason.

"My friend Haruhi Fujioka told us about your daughter, how she's sick," I stare at the woman's tiled floor. "I have a little brother in Karuizawa, he's sick too, and he's not getting better. I just, if my little brother isn't going to live, I want someone else to."

"Well, Aihana," the woman finally lowers the bat. "I won't call the police. Just leave and don't come back."

"Just Mizuki," I correct. With a smile, I pluck an indigo flower from the braid down my back and hand it to her with ceremony. "For you to remember me by. Mizuki Aihana, the girl that saved you all."

"I'm thankful, Mizuki," the woman says, holding the small flower close. I smile once more at her before dipping out the door and on to the landing.

I walk home in the cold rain, the umbrella saving only my jacket, hair and face from the water. But I don't feel cold at all. I feel warm. After all, this is the reason I live; to help others by hurting a few. Its really fun.

 **X-***-X**

I knock on the door of the owner of the commoners' apartment complex. After a tense moment, a fat man in an unbuttoned sports jacket answers.

"What do you want?" he asks rather rudely.

"Hi!" I say cheerily. "I'm selling cookies for a fundraiser at my school and I was wondering if- OW!" The man slammed the door right on my foot. With a grimace, I kick it open and tug a wooden gun painted with shoe polish out of my waistband. Smiling like a maniac, I growl, "Do not scream and do not try to run. I will shoot you, don't underestimate me. Now, I want the password to your computer. You can sit in the corner."

The man shakily raises his hands to his chest and backs into what I can now see is a small office. There is a metal desk and a tiny, old looking desktop computer as well as a series of file cabinets and odd trinkets. I push past him, closing and locking the door, and sit in the office chair, taunting him for the password. He stammers out what I guess to be the name of a pet or something (he doesn't look like the kind of person with a family or friends) and I type it in quickly.

"I'm in," I say into my earpiece. "Can you see on the button cam?"

"Yeah," Takumi says into my ear. For the next five or so minutes, he guides me through an irritatingly complicated process of various inputs and commands and files and things I will never understand. Finally, he says into my ear that it's done and to continue.

"Alright," I say, pushing the chair away from the desk and standing, the fake gun dangling from between my fingers. "You gotta go to sleep now."

"Do you m- mean you're going to k- kill me?" The man stammers.

"Nuh-uh," I laugh. "I'm an illusionist, not a murderer." With that, I take out an LED flashlight and click it repeatedly in his face, flashing it on and off rapidly. Then, I reach down and smack him hard across his cheek, sending him sprawling across the cement floor. The light is stuffed quickly into my pocket, the fake gun tossed out a window where I can retrieve it later. I kneel next to the man and widen my eyes innocently.

"Are you okay, sir?" I ask in my best sweet voice. "You passed out."

"I'm fine..." He says with a pained voice, holding his cheek and squinting. "Who are you?"

"Don't you remember me, boss?" I ask, injecting some kind of offense into my voice. "My name's Kokoro, I've been your assistant for the past year. You must have taken quite a fall if you don't remember me."

"Oh, right, Kokoro," the man says with confusion, sitting up on the floor. "What happened?"

"When I came in to bring you your newspaper, I found you like this. But don't worry, I already called an ambulance, sir. They'll be here soon. Oh, I know, I should go wait for them! Also, before I forget, I picked this flower for you and thought you might like it." I pull the second indigo flower from my hair and press it securely into his hand.

"You do that," he says shortly, still blinking in confusion and staring oddly at my flower. I rush out the door, closing it behind me with a grin. After retrieving my wooden gun, I open my umbrella and walk away once more into the drizzling, night, pulling my jacket tighter around my stomach and watching my breath fog in the autumn chill.

 **X-***-X**

A few days later, the sickly girl is admitted into the hospital. Kagami, Takumi and I all visit her the day after she's admitted. When we reach her room, the girl is asleep, breathing lightly. I look around the room as Kagami places a vase of flowers by her bedside (indigos and a tacky collection of roses, of course). My eyes alight first on the girl's mother, the lady I talked to when I "broke in" to their house.

"Hello," I greet politely. "Remember me?"

"Mizuki Aihana," the woman says, standing and bowing shallowly. "I can't thank you enough."

"You don't need to," I say. Next to me, Takumi nudges me in the side urgently. I ignore him.

"Get better," Kagami wishes the unconscious girl, patting her awkwardly on the hand before grabbing my elbow and tugging us out the door and down the hall.

 **X-***-X**

"Mission accomplished!" I announce grandly, spreading my arms wide and slamming the music room doors open, only slightly surprised to see dozens of ladies in sunburst dresses turning my way. I am otherwise ignored by the hosts fro the rest of the day, except the occasional sidebar comment directed to me or a (polite) request for items related to casual snacking.

Although, when everyone clears out and only the club is left, I am immediately hug-glomped by an overexcited Tamaki.

"You really did it, Mizuki!" He squeals.

"Impressive," the twins say together.

"She's safely in the hospital now and I made sure that Haruhi's neighbors aren't getting evicted any time soon."

"Thanks a lot, Mizu-chan," Haruhi says from the side. I turn to her and smile.

"No problem."

Not long after that, Takumi and Kagami drop by to pick me up from the music room and ride home. We all ride in silence, Takumi buried in a math textbook and Kagami staring forlornly out the window at the rolling hills, probably missing Karuizawa. I am silenced by my own thoughts.

I never would have refused to help the girl, but was there possibly another way I could have done it? Sure, bribery is always an option and it's much less violent but it doesn't always work. But what if I had refused to help her? She would probably have died, end of story. What if someone had found me? What if... oh no.

What if Kyoya Ootori finds another way to blackmail me, to keep me from performing my illusions? Of course that's always a possibility. They love the spotlight too much for their own good. But then again, so do I.

 **Right, before I go, I should thank my best friend (also the inspiration for Leiko Rin) FEEEEEESH, without whom I would not, could not, and certainly should not be writing this story.**


	10. Take to the Streets

**I BET YOU ALL FORGOT ABOUT ME! Well, I'm back with more angst and I haven't once forgotten about this story. I've been really busy lately with school starting and crap, so... yeah.**

 **Thanks bunches to lumenite88 for the review, and this is for you for asking me to continue! I'm so grateful that someone still cares. -insert dramatic smile here-**

 **Enjoy!**

Word travels so quickly in this school, and I'm having a hard time deciding if that's a good thing or a bad thing. By the next day, someone had found out what exactly I had done, told their friend, and long story short, I'm the next big time charity activist. I know what they say; no publicity is bad publicity. But I may have made a wrong move somewhere in there.

It's suddenly as if I'm more popular than the actual host club! Students talk to me in the halls, walk with me and chat at me, never let me eat my lunch in peace, always babbling on and on about how their neighbor's dog is sick and could I do something about the pesky woodpecker in their attic. I always turn them away with the same deflated, angry statement that I'm an illusionist, not an exterminator. Then they go and tell their friends about how rude I am, and suddenly there is a nice mixture of students who love me and those who think I'm a jerk.

And the worst part is, she's always there. Always at the back of the group of followers, even though she said she hated me. Within a week, everyone is in two distinct categories, except for this girl! But I suppose she likes to be the exception. Leiko Rin, the fiery, arrogant, regal, sarcastic attitude, her know-it-all gaze. The world follows rules, except for Leiko Rin, and it's infuriating.

And on a whole different note is Kyoya Ootori. He seems to hate me even more, his slate gray eyes watching with that cold, calculating stare, daring me. I always smile at him sweetly, tilting my head and waving, and he occasionally smiles back, but it never reaches his eyes. I realize quickly in this week that tensions between us are rising rapidly, and soon, it will be my wit against his.

And oh, have I gotten the best idea! The crown jewel of all of my grands, the shining star of royal screw overs! When I perform, I deliver a good show.

 **X-***-X**

The host club has decided to take a trip to a small amusement park. I'm not sure who's idea it was, but I got a text at about nine this morning telling me to meet a car outside in fifteen minutes. Curious, I got dressed and at nine fifteen was riding away in the Souh's limousine on an impromptu trip to a little commoners' amusement park.

"Oh, this will be fun!" Tamaki glows, bouncing around Haruhi in his usual manner. "I can't wait to experience a day of true commoner fun and relaxation!"

"Calm down senpai," Haruhi rolls her eyes. "It's just an amusement park."

"Look, Takashi, cotton candy!" Honey-senpai squeals from atop the taller boy's shoulders, and Mori obediently starts off toward the booth in question.

"Hey, Kaoru, check it out," Hikaru says, pointing to something off in the distance. "Wouldn't that look good on Haruhi?"

"How dare you, evil twins!" Tamaki demands, running after them as they trot off to whatever it is they were looking at. Now, it's only Haruhi, Kyoya, and me. There is an awkward bout of silence before Haruhi announces that she's going to the bathroom and I follow, saying I have to go too, even though I don't. It's not like I want to be alone here with Kyoya.

"Who's idea was this anyway?" I ask, gesturing to the general controlled chaos around us, brimming with the last of the summer heat, an undertone of autumn air whipping our hair around.

"I'm not sure," she says. "If I had to guess, Tamaki-senpai or the twins." She swings open the door to the ladies' restroom and I follow her inside, leanin casually against the wall as she enters a stall.

For a few seconds, I watch the women going in and out, smiles on the children's faces while I am personally too busy scowling, brooding, and generally being miserable to bother with such an expression.

"Excuse me," a voice breaks me from my thoughts. "Could you help me for a moment?"

"Sure," I look up from the tile. "What do you- oh."

"Hello, Mizuki Aihana," the girl says. "Remember me?"

"Leiko Rin," I scowl. "Nice to see you."

"I have this strange feeling you don't like me," Leiko pouts, crossing her arms and flicking her bangs out of her eyes, her leather charm bracelet flashing on her wrist. I can't help but notice a shining silver and sapphire pendant displayed along with the others. "Why's that?"

"If you really want to know, it's because of these things called rules. Everyone follows them, except for you!" I say sternly.

"No, you've got me wrong," the redhead laughs. "I make my own rules."

"What does that mean?"

"You should get that."

"Get what?" As if responding, my phone buzzes in my pocket. I hold a single finger up to Leiko Rin, and she smirks at me as I step outside to answer my phone, not thinking twice about how Leiko Rin knew the phone call was coming through before it did. I do magic tricks too, it's nothing special.

"Hello?"

"H- Hey, Mizuki?"

"Kagami, hi," I answer, recognizing my sister's timid but usually steady voice shaking and tiny. "What's wrong? You sound upset."

"The... The hospital in Karuizawa called me," Kagami says, hissing a breath that sounds like static over the phone. "He died, Mizuki, he died at ten o' three." She doesn't need to tell me any more. I know what she means. Oboro, our little brother, diagnosed a few years ago finally at peace.

"You should go home," I suggest. "Back to Karuizawa."

"You're not coming?" She asks softly.

"No," I say with finality, pressing the button to hang up before she can ask me why. On a whim, I check the time. The clock says it's five minutes past ten.

 **X-***-X**

"Hey, Mizuki, you're home early," Takumi says from behind his book when I slam the door to the library shut. "How did your trip go?"

"Awful," I say dejectedly, cracking my knuckles and pulling nervously on my fingers, trying to calm myself before I burst into a fit of rage. "Stop acting so happy for my sake. I don't care, I really don't care at all. We barely knew him, didn't we, Takumi?"

"What in the world are you talking about Mizuki?" Takumi asks gently, folding down a page and placing the book on a table to give me his full attention.

"Kagami didn't call you?"

"No," he shakes his head. "You two always seem to forget about doing stuff like calling me. What's wrong?"

"Oboro's dead," I say, my wide technicolor eyes meeting his electric blue. "He died this morning. Kagami's on her way back to Karuizawa last time I heard."

"Wow, Mizu," he says, his eyes narrowing. "You're so cold. You took us out of Karuizawa, left Oboro and Kagami, and now he's dead and we didn't even get to say goodbye!" I watch as a tear rolls down his usually smiling, upbeat face. "It's all your fault, Mizuki!"

"I know, Takumi," I shout back, slamming my hand hard into the stuffed leather armchair. "I know it's my fault, but no one asked you too come here with me!"

"Who else is going to make sure you don't et arrested?"

"I can look after myself," I shout, letting my voice take on a steel edge. "I don't need you to baby me, and I don't need you for my illusions!" Turning away, I storm into my bedroom and lock the door stubbornly behind me.

I slam open my closet door, and snatch up an empty gray duffle bag. I shove some clothes into it, a jacket, a toothbrush and hairbrush. That done, I snatch up a picture frame, turn it around, and unlatch the back. About thirty dollars in cash flutters into my hand. Not bothering to replace the frame, I shove the money into a pocket of my bag.

The picture comes off crumpled in my hand. I smooth it out and turn it over. It's a photograph of me, Kagami, Takumi and Oboro from a family reunion. We're all sitting at a picnic table, poised over hotdogs, smiling at the camera on one side of the table. A young Takumi, maybe sixteen, gives an eight year old Oboro bunny ears while a thirteen or so Kagami, wearing an indigo flower crown, hugs me from behind.

I crumple the photo back up and it lands perfectly in my bedside trashcan.

That done, I unlock my second floor window and step out on to the ledge below.

 **X-***-X**

I spend most of the afternoon watching people from the corner booth in a greasy fast food restaurant. I came here at noon when I got hungry and had nowhere else to go, so I just stuck around. The employees started looking at me strangely about two hours ago. What kind of normal fifteen year old hangs around in a baseball cap and black hoodie at an unsavory fast food place for hours on a Saturday afternoon? Either way, the sun is setting and all of the customers have cleared out. I expect they're about to ask me to leave so they can close soon.

When night finally comes and the wind and cold drizzle is enough to make me uncomfortable but not enough to make me regret, I find myself sitting under a bakery awning, leaning on my duffle bag, I still have no idea where I'm going to go.

 **Oooohhh... Where should I send her? I have an idea in mind, but I want to know what you guys think. Review, and I'll update faster when I can!**


	11. The Devils' Lair

**SO! I hate high school.**

 **Thanks to lillyannp for the follow and the review (MESSAGE: I need to read the manga. ;-; I didn't know that.) Thanks to lumenite88 for following me and for the review! You two rock for staying with me this whole time.**

 **I'm deeply sorry for the general suckiness of this chapter.**

I spend the later hours of that night with my knees to my chest and my head pulled down, away from the cold like a frightened turtle retreating into its shell. It's around ten thirty, I believe, when I am so startled from my thoughts I almost shriek.

"Hey there," A voice says. I look up irritably to see an older man in his late forties or early fifties, with dark brown hair, deep hazel eyes, and a smart tuxedo that doesn't belong on a street at this time of night. My parents taught me about stranger danger, but they're not here, are they?

"Hi," I say, my mouth still behind my knees.

"What's your name?" He asks, crouching down to my level. "Are you okay?"

"My name is Mizuki. I'm fine, thanks."

"Well, Mizuki. I'll buy you a beer. That always cheers me up."

"I'm too young," I say in the same way child would say 'duh'. "But thanks."

"Right, right," The man laughs. "Sorry. Where do you live? I have a car that can take you home."

"I don't want to go home," I say stubbornly, crossing my legs and resting my head in my palm.

"Well, do you want to come with me?" He holds his hand out, standing. I look up at him through my silver white lashes. I'll probably be kidnapped or raped and murdered, something along those lines. But I honestly don't care what happens to me. I'm capable of taking care of myself, and the prospect of going back home to Takumi's wrath and Kagami's absence, to be dragged to Oboro's funeral, it fills me with dread.

So I take his hand, noticing how it's soft, not a working man's hand. He leads me to his car, opens the door for me, and climbs in after me. We ride in silence through the quiet, dark town, I watching my one brown eye as it shifts and sparkles in the darkness.

 **X-***-X**

I am jolted from my silent introspection by the car rolling to a soft stop. I tense for a moment, half expecting us to be at some warehouse on the outskirts of the town and a gun to be pressed to my back. But the strange man only opens the door for me. Gingerly, I sling my bag over my shoulder, flip my silver hair from my eyes, and glance up at the huge home.

He puts a comforting arm around my shoulders, smiles gently at me, and leads me inside.

The entryway is much like my own home in the way that it sparkles and glitters, showing off this man's obvious wealth. There are a few doors off to the sides and a grand, sweeping staircase situated just in front. The man tells me to wait for him there, that he'll go get someone to prepare a room for me. I tell him he doesn't have to, that I could find somewhere else to sleep, but he simply insists. So I wait.

After a long while, a maid comes to lead me to the prepared room. I follow her up the stairs, down a few halls, and she finally unlocks a door, bowing shallowly to me. I marvel at how much the room resembles my own; large bed, huge window, all elegantly matching and homey. And it's just a guest room!

I thank the maid and close the door, sling my bag on the floor, and face plant into the pillows.

X-***-X

I wake the next morning still in my black hoodie, muddy jeans, and untied combat boots. I blink in the unfamiliar surroundings in a moment of panic before I remember where I am and what happened. Sighing and standing, I decide I should at least look presentable and get out of this nice man's hair, so I brush out my tangled locks until they're shining normally and change into some clean jeans and a t-shirt. Finally, I make my way down the hall, retracing my steps from yesterday, to find myself in the entryway.

I'd feel bad if I just left without thanking him, so I track down a sticky note and write a quick thank you message, sticking it noticeably to a table situated off to the side of the grand foyer. I'm just about to leave quietly to continue my journey, walking purely on pride and stubbornness, until I hear:

"You're not leaving yet, are you?" I start, plaster a smile on my face, and turn.

"I'm sorry sir, but I thought I long overstayed my welcome," I reply to my host in my best sweet voice. "If you'd like payment, I only have twenty-seven dollars left, but I bet I can get more soon. How much would you want?"

"No, no," The man laughs. "I thought you might want some breakfast. I don't want your money."

How strange that a real person is doing something just because he thinks it would help. I couldn't imagine doing something like that. I mean, when I perform my tricks, even for the good of others, I'm gaining something - reputation.

"Oh, right," I say, withdrawing my hand from where I'd stuffed it in my bag to look for my money. "Sorry." He leads me away, beckoning with a hand.

"I don't think you've met my sons yet," the man chats idly. "They're quite a handful, but I think you'll like them."

"Hm," I giggle. "They sound like some people I know from school."

Before he can comment, he opens the door to a spacious dining room where a two teenagers are sitting with their backs turned to us. I can clearly see two things that I recognize. One, the flaming red hair. Two, their exact synchronization as they turn at the sound of the door.

"Hikaru? Kaoru?" I exclaim.

"Mizuki?" They respond in perfect unison. "What are you doing here?"

"I- I was on the street and your father took me in!" I respond, still standing awkwardly in the doorway but talking excitedly. "He let me stay the night."

"You know each other?" The father exclaims.

"Yes, sir, we're in a host club together," I say respectfully. "I didn't know you were Hitachiin-san, I'm so sorry!"

"Hold on, Mizuki," Hikaru interjects.

"What were you doing on the street?" Kaoru finishes.

"Hm, funny story, that," I admit, walking over to them and seating myself in a dining chair. "My little brother died a few days ago, so Kagami went back to Karuizawa and Takumi got really mad at me for not going with her. So we fought and I'm not going back."

I expect a disgusted look, because what kind of sister would refuse to go to her own brother's funeral? But instead, they exchange some kind of look, and only laugh. I watch, my awe turning slowly into a sense of awkwardness, and then embarrassment as the brothers share their little joke. Finally, when I'm about to push my chair back and slap one of them, they stop and peer at me with hard eyes.

"Why did you tell us?" They ask in unison.

Smirking, I cross my arms and respond, "Isn't it obvious? It's because I like you."

 **So I don't know what the Hitachiins' dad is like, but I guessed he'd be like... well, a host? Hm, XD. Sorry if I got him wrong, but, you know.**

 **Stay tuned!**


	12. Crashing and Burning

**Thank you to the guest who reviewed and gave me information on the Hitachiins' dad. Much appreciated. Thanks to TheGabification for following and to lillyannp for her much appreciated continued support.**

 **This chapter is rushed, unbeta'd, unedited, rough, short, and I'm sorry. But it's plenty random and stupid too, so don't worry. XD**

 **Enjoy!**

I sit at a dressing table, staring myself down in the mirror. Something is wrong and I can't place it. My face is clean, thanks to the shower I just took, and it looks the exact same. Slender jaw and nose, high cheekbones, wide mismatched eyes, shining silver curls in their same place down my shoulders. So why does my face look so strange?

And then it hits me.

This is Kagami's face.

I almost screech when I realize it. Will I see Kagami every time I look in the mirror? Will I never be able to live in peace? Is this what hating your twin is like; to essentially hate yourself? So I almost fall out of my chair to get to my bag, and dig out my Swiss army knife, return to the desk, and pick it up eagerly. I ese out a sharp blade, and drag it across the smooth expanse of my cheek, biting my lip against the pain. A tiny waterfall of crimson spills over my skin, and I sigh, lowering my eyes in relief. I raise them back to inspect my new cut, sighing out loud.

Maybe this is wrong.

I grab a strand of my hair and open the tiny scissors, cutting the long strand to the length of Kagami's crew cut. The silvery strands come off in my hand and when I open my palm to see, they slide to the floor like snow. I find it... strangely fascinating.

This in mind, I saw off the rest of my curls until most of my hair is sitting in a semicircle on the floor around me. I inspect the new cut. It is the same pixie style as Kagami's, the bangs swept gracefully over to one side, the strands of hair hovering in short spikes over the nape of my neck. It doesn't look professional, rather mismatched and ragged. I sigh again. It's Kagami, but it's also me.

A knock comes at the door.

"Yeah?" I call.

"Mizuki?" Kaoru's voice comes.

"Yeah, come in," I invite. The door creaks open, and Kaoru is revealed. He takes a look at me, his hazel eyes darting to the mess on the floor and then to the knife still in my hand, and his eyes soften, meeting mine in the mirror.

"You cut your hair," he states.

"No, really?" I gasp sarcastically. I prop my chin on my hand, regarding him solely through the mirror as he closes the door and sits casually on the bed. Smiling, I ask, "Do you like it?"

"It looked better long," he says honestly. "But I like it better now."

"So where's Hikaru?" I ask, kneeling over the back of my chair to meet his eyes.

"Shower," Kaoru answers. Smirking, he adds, "You have me all to yourself."

"Too bad," I joke. "I may go join him." We both let out amused laughs, but I sober quickly, my eyes darting to the floor and sticking there, I ask, "Hey, Kaoru?"

"Mm-hmm?"

"When you look in the mirror, do you ever see only Hikaru, and not yourself?"

"Well, no, not really," Kaoru answers, leaning back on his hands. "Hikaru is my brother, my twin, and we've always been close, but I know that we're separate people. Why, is something bothering you?"

"A little bit," I admit. "I have Kagami's face, and it's annoying because I kind of hate her a lot."

"I don't think you have Kagami's face," Kaoru says, sitting up and smiling at me. "You two are as different as me and Hikaru; you remind me a lot of him, actually. You're immature while Kagami is calmer. It's your fault, really, that you hate her, and I think you should apologize."

"Maybe," I plop my head down in my arms, leaning forward on the back of the chair. Sighing, I dig my phone from my pocket, flip it open, and scroll to Kagami's number. I tense as it rings once, twice, three times, four, and then dissolves into a voice.

"Hello, this is Aihana Kagami-"

"Kagami, look, I-"

"I'm not available to talk now, but leave a message and I'll respond!" There's a beep, and I sigh into the speaker.

"Kagami, it's me, Mizuki. I just wanted to apologize. I was a jerk, and I'm sorry I missed Oboro's funeral. I... I hope Takumi made it okay... and- yeah. Sorry. Call me back when you can. Bye."

I press the hang up button and roll the flip phone carefully in my hand. I can feel Kaoru's eyes on me, but I don't meet his gaze. I bite my lip nervously and scroll to an app on my phone, pretending to be looking at something when in reality I'm staring at the news headlines scroll across the bottom of the screen, watching a reporter mouth his piece silently.

"See, what did I say?" Kaoru finally speaks up. "She'll forgive you, don't worry."

"Yeah, thanks for the advice," I say distantly, still pretending to be captivated with the pictures on my phone. With a distressed sigh, I hastily slam it closed and drop it lazily on to the desk. I turn to Kaoru and say, strained, "Sorry, Kaoru, but I'm going to go take a walk now, okay? I'll see you later."

Without waiting fro his answer, I kick back the chair and, forcing myself to move casually, leave the room and find the front door. I open it, the shivering at the sudden crisp air brushing the newly exposed skin on my neck, and wander down the drive and out of the gate. My hands are shoved harshly into my pockets, almost ripping the stitching, and I blink in the coloring leaves, blurred with tears.

I try not to think about it, but that news headline is scrolling through my brain like a movie clip on repeat. "Small plane crashes in a field near the Karuizawa airport - No confirmed survivors. Victims' names to be released after families are notified."

I stop in my tracks and cross my arms stubbornly, scraping my boots against the concrete. No way am I going to her funeral either.

 **Wow. I love killing off Mizuki's family. Like, really,** ** _really, REALLY_** **love it. Because Mizuki's a b!tch and hates dealing with sadness, she keeps it bottled up... I expect an explosion** ** _REAAAAAL_** **soon!**


	13. A Deal with Death

**NEVER FEAR, PEARL'S HERE! I'm back with the next installment of** ** _The Indigo Illusionist,_** **otherwise known as Mizuki stomps around being a b*tchy princess.**

 **Thanks bunches to lillyannp for her constant support and recent review! Fpr the rest of you who read this and say nothing, you hurt me. A lot. I need reviews, I'm begging you!**

 **Enjoy this crap!**

I rush into the music room, breathless and more than late. My newly cropped hair drips with the cold rain from outside, my ugly sunburst yellow dress stained with rainwater. The usual mischievous gleam in my technicolor eyes is replaced by clouds that match the view from outside.

"Kagami-san?" Tamaki questions from the couch, already garbed in a billowy green half robe that shows a little bit too much skin.

"Nuh-uh," I gasp, shaking water out of my silver hair. "Just me. I cut my hair."

"Oh, Mizu-chan!" Honey-senpai squeals. "Is Kaga-chan coming today?"

"No, she went back to Karuizawa. I don't think she's coming back," I snap.

"Well, why not?" Tamaki questions, leaning over the back of the couch resting his head on his hand and giving me a winning smile.

"She's just not, okay?" I practically shout at him. "Mind your own business, nosy idiot. Now, are you shoving me in another costume or can I go?"

"You agreed to serve us," Kyoya says, in a very matter-of-fact manner. He gestures with his pencil to a box at his feet. "It's in there."

"Thanks a bunch," I say sarcastically, marching around Tamaki, who is all but weeping in a corner, and snatch the plastic wrapped package from out of the bottom of the box. I shut myself in the changing room and dress quickly, shedding my uniform on the floor and dumping my bag in a pile, kicking the whole mess off to the side. Before I leave, I take a moment to observe myself in the mirror. With the crew cut and the depressed look in my eye, I really do look a lot like Kagami. I almost punch my reflection in the face.

"Stupid Kagami," I mutter to myself, tracing my finger along the line of my reflection's jaw and ragged bangs, the arch of her eyebrow, around her one cinnamon eye, down her nose and across her lips. "Maybe I'm the one who died," I ponder, tapping a nail against the mirror's smooth surface, just over her left breast. "Do you have a heart in there, stupid Kagami? Well, you don't need it any more, do you?"

I stagger back from the mirror, struck with an overwhelming sense of loss. Kagami, no, the girl in the mirror, she doesn't exist any more. What right do I have to pretend to be Kagami? What kind of person am I, to not go to my sister's, my own twin's funeral? Or my little brother's? Why am I acting like this?

Oh, that's right. She left me alone.

But why does it matter any more? Kagami's dead now anyway, nothing I can do about that.

I find myself against the wall, palms holding me up, head tilted downward, staring at the crystal dropping from my technicolor eyes. My nails dig into the building's hard stone and plaster walls, trying hard to make a mark, to prove my pain, but, of course, nails are no match for stone.

Why should I be the one hurting? What have I done wrong? Is this some kind of divine punishment for refusing to go to Oboro's funeral, for wishing my elder sister dead, for running away and ignoring my siblings? Why do I have to hurt? Why not someone else?

Of course, I think to myself as I turn around and lean my back against the wall. I don't need Takumi to perform. I don't need his kind heart and his silly morales. I can hurt, or I can be the cause. Be infamous. Make a difference in someone's life, good or bad.

What's so great about being the good guy?

X-***-X

"Hi, there," I greet Kyoya's semicircle of guests. "Does anyone ant to see a magic trick?"

"No, I think we've all seen enough of your lame excuses for tricks. They get boring after a while, you know, Mizuki." a lady says, passing me an empty cup rattling on a saucer and waving me off with her fingers. "Go on."

"Leiko Rin," I greet, remembering her name. "If you're going to be a jerk, make your own tea."

"No, thanks," she laughs coldly. "You're being rude, and that has consequences. But considering your loss, I can let it slide. People can be so weak."

"My loss," I mimic her under my breath. I slam the teacup hard on the table, watching with disinterest as the china chips, and grab the girl's elbow. I march her angrily form the room, out into the hall, and around the corner.

"How do you know?" I demand, looming over the significantly shorter girl. "Who told you about Oboro and Kagami?"

"Well, you, just now," she laughs yet again. I ready my fist to punch that smirk right off her lips, but stop myself short when she holds up her wrist. The leather charm bracelet is strapped to it, two new charms dangling from it, one a silver square with an inlaid pale emerald and the other a beautifully carved chocolate amber stone. Leiko's smirk grows, stretching wickedly across her sculpted face.

"But you're missing something, Mizuki, something you could have avoided if you weren't so brash and quick to act."

"Oh?" I cross my arms and look down my nose at her, unable to keep the lilt of fear from my voice. "And what's that?"

"You're the only one left, Mizuki. Your last brother, Takumi, I think his name was, killed himself." She makes a finger gun with her pointer finger, shoves the tip into the cavern of her mouth, and twitches her thumb down with a smile. "Swallowed a bullet the hard way, two nights after he found you missing. He'd been checking the news for reports of you and saw the plane crash reel. That, plus thinking you'd never come back? Imagine, all three of your siblings dead within two days. The grief was too much, so he ate lead. Sad thing is, I bet his body is still stinking up his bedroom."

Takumi... Takumi, killed himself? Because he thought I'd left him forever. I can only imagine how he'd explain himself, something like, "I thought you hated me, Mizuki, and with Oboro and Kagami dead... I couldn't, Mizuki. I'm sorry."

"Hey, Leiko?" I mutter under my breath. "Remember what you said about people being weak? Well, you were right. People are weak and selfish and..." I cut myself off to keep from rambling and making a fool of myself.

"Of course I was right," she scoffs. "Hey, Mizuki."

"Yeah, what?"

"Death always wins, Mizuki. She always gets her price. I hope you keep that in mind. You deserve happiness too, and you can get back at death. For a price, of course, but revenge is so sweet," she smirks at me, cocking her head. After a beat, I watch her unlatch the amber stone from her charm bracelet and dangle it tauntingly in front of me. "So, do you want to put on a show, Illusionist, or just watch?"

Without hesitation, I snatch the pendant from out of her hand and wrap it safely in my palm.

 **Aw, Takumi's death really got to Mizuki. I think, the Illusionist is broken. Crippled with grief and clouded with distant, cruel desire to** ** _get back,_** **our pretty little girl with extreme anger issues makes a deal with the Soul Queen. (For any of you who read my first OC fic** ** _Ouran Infiltrated,_** **you know Leiko Rin. For any of you who haven't, just remember that death always gets her price.)**

 **Stay tuned!**


	14. The Angels' Lair

**Oh, look at that. I'm back. What a sight to behold.**

 **Thanks loads to lillyannp for her review and constant stream of support, lumenite88 for their feedback and continued support, and to Vocaloid4Eva for their follow! You guys keep this story alive during the dark days that are school. ;-;**

 **I hope you enjoy!**

Hmm... What should I do for my next trick? It needs to be big, and it needs to really screw him over. That one guy in particular, the only one worth any kind of effort around here. He and the Hitachiin brothers are the only ones who aren't complete idiots. Well, them and Haruhi. Those four are different.

Haruhi. She's sweet, she doesn't really deserve to be clumped in with these imbeciles. If I could only find out what's keeping her here, what Kyoya's "medicating circumstances" are. What are this poor peasant's chains, and what kind of key would I need to break them open?

Kyoya Ootori. Not to be underestimated. To put it simply, he's an unadulterated genius. If he so desired, he could have this whole school, hell, this whole country, in his hands by next Tuesday. Ever since I met him, I couldn't help but think highly of him. He has my respect, if my hatred for that... that... thing gleaming in his slate grey eyes. He's a genius, but it's a shame; such unbelievable talent wasted inn such an icy, inky heart.

Hikaru and Kaoru; criminal masterminds without a doubt. They're cunning, quick thinkers, with the brain of H. H. Holmes and a reputation that pretty much matches. Put together, they're incredible. Apart, they're extraordinary, each with the heart of a bunny, the bite of a lion, and the wit of a velociraptor. As such, in a few weeks of my recent rapid descent into reticent grief, they pry my story from me, and on one particularly cold night, I spill it all.

"Hey, Mizuki," Hikaru calls, pushing open my ajar bedroom door. I roll over stubbornly in my bed, my back facing the door. "Wanna come play a video game with me and Kaoru? We have three controllers."

"No," I mumble shortly, burying my head deeply into the pillow. "I just wanna sleep."

"Aw, come on," he groans. "You're no fun. It's only eight on a Saturday; who goes to sleep at eight?" I feel the bed sink under his weight as he kneels down, his hand nudging my shoulder insistently. "You gotta play with us. It's a brand new game we just got yesterday. Come on, Mizuki! It'll be fun!"

"Stop Hikaru," I groan, shying away from his hand and deeper into the comforter, only to be followed and practically pounced on by the redhead. I shove him off bodily and prop myself against the headboard, the blankets sliding down to my waist.

"Aw, come on!" He moans again, flopping down on the bed. "You've been so boring lately, like those other guys."

"Shut up."

"Fine, we'll play without you," he deadpans, pushing himself up and slinking dejectedly out the door, much like a cat, I notice idly. Sighing, I flip off my comforter and follow after him, stopping his bedroom door from closing at the very last second. I stalk angrily into the room, all too aware that I'm in thin flannel pants and a t-shirt with a too low neckline, walking into a bedroom of attractive, greedy twins, each in nothing but sweatpants.

"You could have put on shirts," I mention idly, shutting the door with my foot and throwing myself next to them on their bed, watching the television mounted to the wall opposite their bed out of the corner of my eye.

"Nah," Hikaru sighs. Kaoru casts me a look as if to say, 'Like what you see?' to which I roll my bicolored eyes. After a moment, the game boots up and Kaoru passes out controllers. I shake my head and say that I'm only planning on watching.

"What's up with you lately, Mizuki?" Kaoru asks idly, flipping through the starting options on the game.

"A lot's happened," I shrug.

"Like what?" They ask together. I bite my lip to keep from outwardly wincing. Before Oboro got sick, Kagami and I would talk in unison like that all the time, at family reunions mostly, and sometimes in clipped Latin. When asked what we were saying, we'd only smile, say that it was a death curse, and skip away happily as the victim either paled visibly or laughed nervously.

"Family issues," I say, clipped. "No big deal."

They pass me this identical look, this look of narrowed eyes and tight lips. I can read it on their faces, a condescending, 'Oh, really? No big deal? Then why so down, if it's no big deal?'. I think to myself for the first time how bad it would really be if I told them, just something to get this crushing weight off my chest, to get these pictures out of my head. Oboro's tiny, child sized coffin, and the empty seats at the funeral where his siblings should have been. Kagami, trapped in a death tube as the ground rockets towards the window, the smell of smoke and the screams of the other passengers, her body charred from fire and mangled from the crash. Takumi, sitting alone in his bedroom, his eyes red and puffy from crying and the pistol he kept in a locked drawer in his nightstand for emergencies turned over and over in his hand, before being raised to his mouth and the sound of the bullet leaving the chamber and the blood is everywhere and oh god the body is still there inside the house and no one has found him and the police are going crazy and maybe I'm going crazy and-

"It's bad," I whisper, my face tilting downward and my fingers twisting into the sheets. "My little brother, he died first, of lung cancer, back in Karuizawa. Kagami, she went next, down in a plane crash on her way to his funeral. Finally, Takumi, my older brother, he shot himself, and as far as I know, his body is still in my house. But I can't go back."

Silence.

"I'm alive. I'm the last one alive, out of all four of us.

"I guess my family is cursed or something. It's always one thing or another; cancer, accidents, twisted fate, suicide." I really want to say what else I was thinking over lately, this idea that maybe this is a sign for me, that I'm not meant to be alive. Out of all of us, why me? Why do I get life? Oboro, he was happy all the time, always made everyone else happy, while I just sulk. Kagami, she was nicer than me by a long shot. Takumi, he was a genius. I didn't even want to go to their funerals. I can't even walk into my own house because I'm so scared that maybe Takumi will be dead and I'll have to deal with that reality.

"Dammit!" I nearly screech, startling the twins next to me. Something hot leaks out of my single cinnamon eye, then from my mint one, and tears are rolling freely down my face in a matter of seconds. "I'm never going to see them again, any of them. Shouldn't I care?" I pause, rolling my tongue in between my teeth in frustration. "Hikaru, Kaoru, if the other one were to die, how would you feel?"

"I'd hate myself for being alive," Kaoru says quietly after a moment of silence. Hikaru nods in agreement.

"Well, imagine that pain, tripled, and then wrenched away like it never existed. It feels... hollow. But mostly, I'm terrified that I'm next." I meet each of their eyes in turn and almost laugh out loud. "Yeah, you must think I'm a murderer or insane or something now. Sorry for dumping this on you two, I'll just... go now." Without bothering to look at them again, I swing my feet over the edge of the bed and make to stand.

Two pairs of arms wrap around me, one from the left around my shoulders and the other from the right around my waist. No words wasted, I suddenly find myself pulled backwards and pinned, sandwiched, between Hikaru and Kaoru. I can feel the heat of Hikaru's chest through my thin cotton shirt, Kaoru's breath on my face, so close I can smell his shampoo.

"Hmm... okay," I murmur under my breath. One of them pulls the comforter up, and a lamp cord is pulled, plunging us into darkness. I can still feel Kaoru's light breathing on my forehead, feel the rise and fall of Hikaru's chest, and almost unconsciously press closer, succumbing to the temporary relief.

I feel a pair of lips -Kaoru's- brush my forehead in an almost protective manner. I almost, almost, ask him why he'd do such a thing, but I already know his answer.

"Isn't it obvious?" He'd say with mirth gleaming in his hazel eyes, a sweet smirk on his surprisingly warm lips. "It's because I like you."

X-***-X

Oh...

...I'm going insane... That must be why I'm up here on the roof of Ouran high school, clutching the guard rail behind me with only one hand. The toes of my shiny shoes hang over the edge, my heels dangerously close to tipping off. My silver bangs whip around my head, and my fingers are trembling. Leiko Rin is standing silently behind me. I can see her from the corner of my eye, her lips set in a grim line, her piercing blue eyes blank and uncaring.

I can't even remember what could have possessed me to do something like this, but nevertheless, I almost let go. The empty seats at Oboro's funeral, the sour smelling smoke and the huge flames licking the shell of the airplane, a splatter of blood on the wall and Takumi's body, still there, even after two weeks. So I almost let go, almost end the Aihana family right here, but I don't.

I can feel the heat of Hikaru's chest through the back of my shirt, Kaoru's lips brushing my forehead. I can see the sunlight cutting through the icy winter air and reflecting off the thin carpet of snow that fell last night, and it reminds me of that blasted club. From here, I can see the fountain, which had been turned off for the winter, the snow brushed off for fear of weathering the fancy stone, and I can swear I see a tinge of red and catch a faint metallic smell lingering in the air.

I clutch the rail with my other hand, pulling myself backwards and stepping back over on to the ground.

"You're a hypocrite," Leiko says blandly when I'm steadily back on my feet. "You should stop calling everyone else idiots."

"I know," I pant, the cold air stinging my lungs.

"Why didn't you jump?" She asks as if she wishes I had. I almost ask her if she does wish I had jumped, but decide I don't want to hear the answer any more than I want to have an intimate meeting with the sidewalk three stories below.

"I have a score to settle," I say crossly, taking the amber stone out of my pocket where it's been since she gave it to me and waving it in her cocky face.

"Wonderful," Leiko says, almost sarcastically. I scoff at her, but she ignores me. "Because I have an idea I think you'll like, Illusionist."

"Idea?" I mimic, dropping ths stone away. "What kind of idea?"

 **Mmmmm. Leiko Rin gets an idea. Bad things are coming!**

 **Okay- I know I addressed this in a previous chapter, but Mizuki is** ** _not_** **a Mary Sue. A Mary Sue is defined as being (depending on the type of Sue) the perfect girl who upstages all the characters. First of all, Mizuki falls into no category completely. True, she's beautiful and incredibly smart, but if you take a look, she's also selfish, idealistic, close-minded, and complacent, all fatal flaws that a Mary Sue would not have. I've taken extensive care into making sure my characters are rounded and deep.**

 **If you were talking about Leiko Rin being a Mary Sue, you're right. Leiko Rin is actually written to be a Sue. She pretty much outdoes everyone, has a tragic backstory that will be revealed only upon request, and is in all ways the perfect girl. I was wondering if anyone would catch it. If you did, you get my respect!**

 **Thank you for your feedback, it was much appreciated.**

 **Stay tuned, friends!**


	15. What They Did

**I have excuses! I went on a trip, and my computer is broken so I have to switch to a new one, and school... GAH!**

 **Thanks to lumenite88 for the review, Alanna3799 for the follow and favorite, Super amazing ninja penguin for the favorites and the follow. You guys keep this story alive!**

 **Before I start, I'd like to thank two people. The first is my best friend, the model for Leiko Rin, and my personal PlotMaster3000, FEEEEEEEESH! without whom I would not, could not, and surely should not be writing anything. The second is Dadikus, who's always there for me and who always reads my crap even though he's not even into anime that much. These two are just as responsible for this story as I am.**

 **So, let's skip the fluff and get to the newest chapter!**

That's admittedly a really good idea. Damned girl. Leiko Rin, the Queen of Souls, Ruler of Hearts, Mistress of the Mind. She thinks she's oh-so-wonderful, does she? We'll see; the Indigo Illusionist is back with a bang.

X-***-X

"You actually know how to do this?" I ask, leaning over Leiko Rin's shoulder.

"Of course," she sighs. "I'd have thought that worthless brother of yours taught you something before he bit it." I raise a fist with all the intention of cracking her thick skull open, but actually manage to contain myself when I see the computer screen.

"That's insane," I breathe, my eyes breezing over the windows, numbers, and scrolls of binary code. "You can read that?"

"Yeah, it says you're annoying and need to shut up."

"Psh," I grunt, pushing away from the computer lab chair and crossing my arms, stalking across the empty room, out of the computer's warm glow and into the darkness. It's nine at night and this school is disturbingly easy to break in to. All you need are a set of bolt cutters and a paperclip or two. We didn't even run into any night guards yet.

"If you're so bored, go find something to do," Leiko suggests arrogantly.

"Yeah, like what?"

"Well, Ootori is smart, right?" Before I can answer, she cuts me off. "Rhetorical. Don't answer. Anyway, he's smart, so he probably has a tangible copy of his most recent monetary transactions on his person. Go find those and bring them here."

"Huh?" I question, flabbergasted, before it dawns on me. Leiko pauses in her intense typing to look at me over her shoulder. I raise my hands in a conciliatory gesture. "Right, sorry. Find the things. I'll have them to you by the end of school tomorrow."

"No sooner?" She sighs, disappointed. "I thought you were good, Illusionist."

"What if I bring you the documents and his glasses?" I challenge cockily, resting my hands on my hips and raising a single silver eyebrow.

I can see in the computer screen's reflection the corners of her mouth twitch in what's almost a smile. With her thumb, she pushes her glasses higher on her nose and says, "Fine. You do that."

X-***-X

"Kyoya-senpai?" I mutter under my breath approaching the young man. My hands worry the hem of my dress and my shoes scuff on the floor. Kyoya refuses to look up from his computer as he responds.

"I..." I look around, notice a few eyes on me, and drop my voice to whisper into his ear, "Can I speak to you?"

"Sure," he says shortly, finally breaking eye contact with his screen and turning his indifferent slate gaze to me. I flutter my eyelashes, unsatisfied, and lace my fingers with his, tugging incessantly on his arm. His mouth hardens into a cold line, his eyes narrowing at me.

"What is it, Aihana?" He asks lowly.

"I need to talk to you," I enunciate, pulling with more desperation on him. "Outside."

With hesitation, he stands, grabs his oh so precious bag in his free hand, and allows me to pull him desperately across the room. At this point, I have a fairly decent audience, ladies casting their corner-of-the-eye jealous suspicion glance at me, the hosts downright staring in confusion. Nevertheless, we exit the room, and proceed quickly down the hall, my eyes set sternly on the end of the corridor.

Without breaking stride, I lean into a closed door, pressing down on a golden handle. The lock clicks open, and I stumble inside, dragging Kyoya with me. I release his hand, duck under his falling form, and lock the door behind us. There's a clatter as he catches himself on a desk and drops his bag, the various papers and books spreading over the tile.

"Yes?" He says angrily, giving me an irritate 'Seriously?' look. I smile cheekily back at him.

"You know, you have nice glasses," I say idly, leaning back on the door, the only exit to the deserted classroom. "And you're so cold all the time. Tell me, Kyoya, are you scared of death?"

"Of course," he says after a beat, coolly adjusting his glasses. "Who isn't?"

"Only the devil himself," I agree with a smirk, stalking steadily closer to Kyoya. "I think sometimes about what would have happened if you had just kept quiet that day at the fountain, Shadow King. If you had, I'd have been easily famous by now, probably more popular than you. Kagami would never have left Karuizawa, and as a result, she and Takumi would both still be alive. So," I'm very close to his face now, standing on my toes to stare him in his unwavering eyes, "how does it feel to have blood on your hands, hm?"

I expect some sign of guilt or grief, a brief flash of indecision or some kind of nervousness. But I get only a smirk.

"You have our places reversed, Aihana." The words have me so stunned I fall back on my heels. Ever the performer, I quickly, cross my arms a paint a haughty, prideful expression over my features. Kyoya continues talking, and my scowl grows. "Perhaps if you weren't so greedy or quite so complacent, this whole situation could have been avoided."

He has no guilt, not to mention he has no idea how wrong he is.

My snarl practically ripping my face in two, I land a punch square on his nose. All brain and no muscle, the taller gags. My knuckles sing in sudden pain; I closed my fist. Sticky crimson liquid splatters over my hand. I shake it out and take a look at my prey. Kyoya is looking at me with a mixture of surprise and disdain, blood staining the fingers pressed to his upper lip. With his free hand, he is leaning against a desk. If it weren't fr his glasses, I'd have probably knocked his nose crooked.

"Why aren't you screaming?" I ask, flexing my hand into the correct position and punctuating my sentence with a blow under his ear that knocks his glasses off and sends him collapsing over the desk. I refuse to give him a chance to answer, and slam my bruised knuckles into a spot below his ribs. He gags in his inhalation and coughs. I lean over him, pinning him down with my left arm, and lift his head up by his necktie with my other.

I consider saying something witty, but cant think of anything on the spur of the moment. So I smirk, and say calmly, "You look better with your glasses on."

With a solid, one knuckle punch, I knock him in the temple. His onyx eyes roll back in his head and he goes limp under me. I climb off him, gather his papers up in his bag and locate his glasses, which had slid into a corner and cracked, and put them on my head, tucking the bag under my arm. With that, I make to leave, casting a single glance over my shoulder. Sighing, I double back and press two fingers to the vein on his neck, searching for a shattering moment for his pulse. A knot of tension I didn't know had woven unwinds in my stomach when I find it.

I lock the door on my way out.

X-***-X

I meet Leiko Rin on the rooftop, the bag under my arm and the glasses perched confidently on my head. She faces away from me, standing as still as I've ever seen a person stand.

"I expected you to kill him," Leiko Rin says when I hand her the bag and told her what happened. She almost looks disappointed, her gaze wavering from mine for a moment, before meeting it with double the mirth and mischief. "You surprise me, Illusionist. You're unpredictable. When I said I hated you in the cafeteria, I change my mind. I like you, Illusionist."

"Is that a complement?" I ask hesitantly. The way the redhead said it made it sound like-

"No, Mizuki. It's a threat."

Yeah. A threat.

"A threat?" I question, my psychological walls slamming up. "What do you mean by that?"

"I mean," she brushes a frustrated hand through her fiery waves of hair. She looks at me blankly, as if asking herself, 'How do I explain?'. "I mean... Death always wins, Mizuki. She always gets her price. You'll understand what that means soon enough."

 **Okay, I'll try to update more, promises. Until next time, try to avoid crocodiles!**


	16. Beating Hearts

**Right so. This is shorter and unedited and I had trouble coming up with an ending, but I'm generally satisfied by the amount of time it took me to produce this, what with a new computer** _ **and I can't find my software disc so this is written on Google Docs.**_

 **Did you guys not like my last chapter? Did I do something wrong? Not a single comment, flames, praise, or otherwise. It was kind of depressing. If you want me to make this story go away, I can…**

 **Anyway, enjoy, and please review!**

I didn't do anything special to hide what I did from the club. They, just as everyone else, know Kyoya was found unconscious in an abandoned classroom and know he's in the hospital now. Fingers have been pointed, but no one has directly said it was me. Walking down the halls, I hear the murmurs.

"It's the Aihana girl," they whisper.

"She beat up Kyoya!"

"She helped one of Haruhi's neighbors; she can't be all bad."

"That girl carries a gun!"

"I heard she seduced him."

"I heard her whole family died and she wasn't even sad. Do you think _she_ killed them?"

It's always the same. The same whispers, the same corner-of-the-eye, wary, disapproving looks. I've always been with the type of group that gives those looks out. I've never been the kind to receive them. It irritates me to no end knowing that they know _exactly what I did_ and still they whisper and murmur and look. It's the worst insult I can get, to finally be famous, rather, infamous, and get this kind of treatment.

 _I'll make you pay. I'll make you all pay._

X-***-X

"You came back," Tamaki breaks the tense silence that fell as soon as I'd entered the club room. Club activities had been cancelled due to certain "medicating circumstances", but I felt a strange pull towards this room, as if there's something that I'd forgotten to do.

Haruhi stares at me with wide eyes. Honey's normally innocent gaze is laden with sadness. Mori's is cold and calculating, his body gone stiff. Tamaki is gazing at me incredulously with his wide, sparkling violet eyes. What makes me almost regret coming is the twins' matching looks; their hazel eyes are swimming with stiff, blazing, predatory anger, their normally pride-swollen stances weighted with betrayal.

"There's no need acting like that," I sniff, crossing my arms stiffly and looking down my nose at them all, my gaze brushing weakly over the twins. "You all got exactly what's coming to you."

"What do you mean, Mizu-chan?" Honey-senpai asks innocently, tiredly, from atop Mori's shoulders.

"You know exactly what I mean!" I say crossly, realizing in my head that what I'm saying is dreadfully more than true. "If Kyoya hadn't brought me here, Kagami would never have come! Did you know that she died in a plane crash on her way back to my little brother's funeral?"

Silence. Wide-eyed silence.

"Did you know that my older brother Takumi shot himself because Kagami died? He thought I wasn't coming back."

Silence.

For what seems like a year, I stare them down, my vision suddenly blurry. I'm hardly able to breathe through the lump in my throat and the tightening bands around my chest. Admitting it to them suddenly made it real. This isn't an illusion any more. No one's playing tricks on me. This is real. My brothers and my sister are gone, dead, and they're not ever coming back.

I haven't cried.

"Mizu-chan," a small voice comes, penetrating my thoughts and dragging me out of them. My technicolor gaze turns to the speaker, the host king himself.

"Don't say you're sorry," I snap tonelessly. "Weren't you all the ones that asked Kagami to come? Weren't you the ones who kept me here?" My gaze narrows cruelly on Tamaki's face, growing steadily paler, more desperate, more lost as I continue.

"Weren't you the one who told me to come here, Tamaki?"

He lets out a gasp, a hiss through his teeth, and suddenly collapses into a sobbing mess. His jaw drops open even as tears spring into his eyes and spill down his cheeks. In a flash, I am engulfed in a flaming hug, firm yet gentle, and pressed into Tamaki's shoulder.

"What- What are you-!" My first instinct is to reach out, yank his hair back, and jab him firmly in the windpipe, but something stops me. My arms feel heavy, my eyelids suddenly too flimsy to hold up my lashes. I feel them drooping down, my head falling graciously against his sky blue blazer.

"It's okay to cry, Mizuki," he whispers softly into my hair. I'm certain everyone else can hear, but what do they care? Why should they care?

"I'm sorry."

And so, I cry.

X-***-X

The Hitachiins drive me back to their manor, where we pretend like everything's normal. I pack up my things in my duffle bag, the Hitachiins sitting cross legged on my borrowed bed, laughing and joking and acting. It would be nice, if not for the constant nagging at the base of my skull.

Slinging my bag over my shoulder, I am led once more back out to their car and joined.

"You two don't have to come," I say, wincing at the waver in my voice. I meant what I said, but I want them to come. What if I was right all along? What if he's still there?

"Sure we do," they say in unison.

"Why?" I ask as Hikaru closes the door and the chauffeur pulls out. "It'll be disgusting."

"Isn't it obvious?" Hikaru asks with a grin, leaning over Kaoru. "It's because we like you."

The rest of the drive is filled with meaningless talk, but a sort of cloud hangs over it all. The strings of tension are pulled taut, so thick that I can practically see them wavering in the air. I notice myself becoming more detached, sinking slowly into a pool of reticence as the drive progresses. My voice, higher pitched with nervousness, speaks up only to give the driver directions. My teeth unknowingly worry my bottom lip.

"We're here, masters," the chauffeur announces just as the car rolls to a sudden stop. I follow after Hikaru and Kaoru reluctantly, the grip on my bag tightening and my lip beginning to swell with the constant abuse. My feet crunch on the gravel drive, and the brisk winter air chills me to the bone.

The three of us reach the doorstep, and I release my lip as I ring the doorbell. It takes me only a brief second to realize that this is my house and I don't need to do that, but just as I'm reaching for the knob, the door swings open.

"Mizuki?"

"Takumi?"


	17. The Illusion

**Aha! So I finally came up with a decent ending. Don't worry, it's not quite through yet, but this story is wrapping up. Thanks!**

 **Thank you to TheDreemurrGirl and the excited guest for reviewing! You two are wonderful people. Stay groovy.**

 **To all of you who read but don't review, you wound me.**

 **Anyway, enjoy!**

Two things cross my mind in almost the exact same second. The first of these is along the lines of, _oh, I was worried for nothing._ The second, and the one that surprises me the most is, _Leiko Rin lied to me._ But I push these thoughts away for a moment, and- and-

"Takumi?"

"You came back, Mizuki!" His intelligent icy cobalt eyes light up, crinkling around the corners with a smile. His arms are wrapped around me, his nineteen year old body, growing into its wide, strong limbs, crushing me into his chest. I can hear his heartbeat through his oversized hoodie. He smells like fabric softener and lemons. "Why were you gone so long?"

"I thought you were dead," I choke. I feel the rumble of his noiseless laugh, which I'd imagine would be high and tense if he wasn't so blinded by euphoria. Still clutching me to his chest, he says,

"Why would I be dead?"

"No-," I cut myself off, swallow past the lump in my throat- _he's alive!_ -and gently push my way into my own personal space, never breaking eye contact with my brother. "No reason. This girl, Leiko Rin, she told me you had shot yourself." I laugh nervously, unable to meet his eyes. "It's stupid, I don't know why I believed her. But I was so scared to come back…"

"Hold on," his mahogany eyebrows furrow together. "How do you know Leiko Rin?"

"She goes to my school," I answer tensely. "How do you?"

"She just started last week," he gazes down at me, his eyes glassy with worry, "as the manor's security advisor."

 **X-***-X**

Takumi invited Hikaru and Kaoru to stay for lunch, which they accepted with wide eyes. The four of us sit in the library afterwards, the twins seeming much more awkward than their usually haughty, entitled selves. Takumi- _he's alive!_ -refuses to take his gaze from me for more than five minutes.

We'd long since "caught up", Takumi telling me how he'd called the police but didn't think it would do any good, knowing me. I told him how I'd been staying with the Hitachiins, brushed over my activities with Leiko Rin, told him about Kagami (he knew).

"Who's this Leiko Rin character?" Takumi ponders, disrupting the brief, carefree nature of our previous conversation.

"We met her in the cafeteria at Ouran, remember?" I nudge him in the arm with my toe, my feet kicked over the arm of the wine red leather armchairs scattered about the library.

"Mm hmm," he agrees. "Do you know her, Hitachiin-san?"

"Well, yeah," Hikaru shrugs carelessly.

"She's a regular at the club," Kaoru says.

"She frequents Kyoya-"

"-We just met her a few weeks ago."

"I hired her as chief security advisor," Takumi says distantly, taking his ever-present cell phone out of his pocket. Takumi has a knack for anything electronic: hacking, gaming, research, digital design, he can even draw if it's on a computer. "She's really good, actually, convinced me to make a completely new position I'd never even known I'd needed."

"That's the Soul Queen for you," I scoff under my breath. Out loud, I continue, "She told me a while back that you had-," my voice cracks, "-died, Takumi."

"I told you not to get into trouble," Takumi says with affection in his deep electric blue eyes. "You shouldn't go making friends with people like that, Mizu."

"I know," I pout, crossing my arms under my head, running my fingers through the shorter strands.

"So, what did you do?" Takumi crosses his arms. "You're so rash, I know you did _something_

we have to go fix now."

"I am not!" I protest, glaring daggers at him, but clamp my mouth shut at his amused look and his know-it-all, gentle smirk. Pouting, I say crossly, "I kinda stole Kyoya-senpai's bank account records and gave them to Leiko."

"WHAT!" The twins shout together, snapping to attention. "Why would you do that!"

"Sorry, sorry," I tense, startled, holding my palms out in a conciliatory gesture. "I'm not sure what she's doing with them, but Kyoya's in the hospital-" Takumi grunts disapprovingly, "-and I haven't seen Leiko Rin since."

"We can find out easily," Takumi says calmly, marching out the door and gesturing to be followed. The twins tromp curiously on my heels, muttering to themselves. I try my best to ignore them. Meanwhile, Takumi is leading us to his own bedroom, opens the door, and starts immediately to his beech writing desk, where a desktop sits on standby. He boots the computer up, and with practiced motions, goes about the not at all understandable hacking process.

The four of us sit in near silence, the only sound being Takumi's mad typing, broken only by the occasional click or dissatisfied hum. After a few moments, just when the twins and I are getting restless and bored, Takumi swivels in his luxury office chair, his arms spread wide, a grin splitting his face in two.

"Good news or bad news?" Takumi asks at once in his cheery voice.

"Good," I say quickly.

"The good news is that Leiko Rin hasn't done anything yet. If I had to guess, she's waiting for you, Mizuki." he swivels around again, presses a few keys, and turns back around with a scowl. "The bad news is that she has direct control of Kyoya's personal bank account, and has eight million yen on standby. She's also in two more accounts, one titled, 'Host Club' and one under the name," he swivels around again, and reads, "Fujioka."

"Haruhi!" Hikaru exclaims with ernest, his face stained red from sudden anger. Next to him, his brother mimics his expression.

"What could she want with Haruhi?" Kaoru demands.

"Who is Haruhi?" Takumi asks, brow furrowed. "The name sounds kind of familiar."

"You met her," I say blandly. "Remember, the crossdresser, the reason this whole mess started…" I trail off distantly, putting it all together in my head, mixing up the pieces and trying to make them fit. I begin murmuring quietly to myself.

"Eight million yen… and it's the reason this whole mess started…" My lip, clenched in my teeth, is screaming in protest to my absent-minded abuse, so I release it, only to bite down once more. "Leiko Rin wanted… She wanted to help me… But that's not like her…"

"Mizuki!" Takumi gasps, his hand banging dully on the plastic arm of the office chair. "Death always gets her price, remember?" Without waiting for me to answer, he says, "And it always wins, right? She wins, Mizuki! It was a set-up from the beginning!" Eyes gleaming with a strange kind of excitement, Takumi proceeds to explain exactly what it is Leiko Rin is doing.

He tells us how it was all planned. Leiko Rin lied about Takumi's death because she knew I'd go home eventually and find out, but she needed me, desperate with grief, to get Kyoya's papers for her. She wanted his bank account so she could _pay back Haruhi's debt._

That was the last piece I needed, the one that didn't fit. I knew Haruhi had to stay, but I didn't know why until the eight million yen bit. Leiko Rin wanted it, wanted Kyoya's money, to pay back his debt to her. It's such a poetic, ironic kind of justice that I almost laugh.

When Takumi finishes his explanation, his eyes fall briefly and he looks almost dismayed. He mutters half to us and half to himself, "But why? Why the trouble?"

"Duh," I groan, flicking him in the arm. "She's getting something out of it."

"What?" The Hitachiins asks in unison.

I respond ominously, "Her price."

 **X-***-X**

I've never really actively sought out Leiko Rin before, so I'm not too sure where to start. I check the host club room first, but she's not there. I go to the roof, wander around the hallways, peek in doors and around corners. Just as I'm about to give up and wait for her to contact me, I find her in the bathroom across the hall from music room three.

"Thought you'd be looking for me," she mentions in her casually leering voice, tinged with American accent. "What is it, then? Nothing too good, I'd expect."

"I want out," I say crossly, jumping to the point. "I want the documents back and I want you out of any bank account that's not yours."

"You're betraying me, you mean to say?" Her seafoam eyes narrow behind her glasses. She flicks her thick red curls over her shoulder haughtily. "I think you've got it wrong, Illusionist. You don't call the shots any more."

"You don't understand, Leiko," I say coldly, masking my obvious begging (how indecent) behind my tone and body language. "What you're doing, it could ruin the host club."

"If she decided to leave," Leiko Rin says pointedly, raising a single red-orange eyebrow. "When did you care so much about the Host Club?"

When did I? It never really occurred to me, and I never really saw the signs, but somewhere after I met Leiko Rin, this all turned into a game, and illusion, and I started caring. Maybe I've been fighting for the club all along without knowing it… somehow. Maybe that's the reason I didn't throw myself from the roof all those weeks ago.

I realize almost as soon as my last thought completes that it doesn't matter. I'm doing what's right _now_ and when Kyoya gets out of the hospital, he's going to thank me. This is my payback, a different kind, sure, but payback nonetheless.

"It doesn't matter," I sniff, tilting my chin to peer down my nose at her. "So how do you know that Haruhi will leave the host club? As far as I know, you don't do things on whims and hunches."

"At least you know that much," she retorts hotly. "In fact, I've secured a different means of education for Haruhi, something that will definitely bring out her more…" she glares at me and smirks cruelly, " _...feminine side._ "

As Leiko brushes past me to leave, I turn this thought over in my head. As the door bangs shut, it comes to me. How glaringly obvious it is makes me sigh at myself. Leiko's devious, fallacious silver tongue, it could lead even Haruhi astray.

The first thought that comes to my mind: Lobelia.


	18. Cracked

**I'm really excited. This is the ending (wrapped up sooner than I expected, I know, I know…), and if you have read me before, my endings suck, so I add epilogues. After that, I'm rewriting a crash-and-burn Black Butler fic called** _ **Dancing With Death.**_ **If you're interested, it's a 1950s asylum AU featuring OCs, and the name will possibly be changed.**

 **Anyway, thanks to lillyannp for her constant support and reviews! All of your questions will be answered in the epilogue, my friend.**

 **So, enjoy!**

I find myself running, my uniform heels making desperate clicking sounds in the otherwise soundless halls. I'm panting raggedly, shots of pain sting my ankle from when I tripped on the first flight of stairs and tumbled down, only to spring back up and take off again. My chest feels like it's compressing, my lungs straining, and I'm talking, clipped, into my cell.

"Takumi-" I pant, letting out a breathless gasp as I nearly fall, rounding a corner into a trio of third years. Their confused eyes follow me, their whispers not going unnoticed even in my haste. "-you gotta… come, hospital… _move!_ " I shove past a girl, her books scattering everywhere, and burst down yet another flight of stairs.

"What about the hospital, Mizu?" He asks, suddenly frantic. "You're not hurt, are you?"

"No!" I stumble on a stair, right myself on the bannister, and take the rest of the steps two at a time, switching my phone into my other hand. "Meet me- hospital on… Eighth Street, twenty minutes… I'm running, may be little late… hurry!"

"Hospital on Eighth," Takumi mimics. "Twenty minutes. Got it."

"Bring your laptop," I order breathlessly, lungs burning for oxygen, the stitch in my side screaming as I throw open the north building's doors with my shoulder and burst into the courtyard, not breaking stride.

"Right. I'll wait for you outside."

There's a click as he hangs up, and I shove my phone into the bag bouncing on the small of my back as I run.

Sprinting along the streets of a Japanese town isn't all that easy. I had to shout at countless people to move and got honked at by a furious driver more than once. (One guy even ended up on the side of the road when I tried to cross without waiting. Needless to say, I didn't stop.) Eventually though, my muscles screaming, lungs burning, and dizzy with heat despite it being the dead of winter, I arrive at the doors to the Eighth Street hospital.

"Mizuki!" Takumi calls to me as soon as I enter through the sliding doors. "What did you-," he looks me up and down and smirks, an eyebrow raised. "Did you run all the way here from Ouran?"

"Yeah," I gasp, hands on my knees. "Leiko Rin told me… what exactly she was do-ing. I- _ow, my side_ -came as quick as I could. We have to- talk to… Kyoya."

"Yeah, okay," Takumi takes my hand gently and leads me to the receptionist. To the painted lady behind the desk, he says, "Which room is Ootori Kyoya staying in?"

The lady raises one annoyed groomed eyebrow. Around her chewing gum, she says in an irritated voice, "Master Ootori doesn't want anyone seein' his son." She turns lidded brown eyes on me, "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," I say, my voice strained but my breath returning to normal. "Why can't we see Kyoya? I'm a… friend… of his from school."

"Apparently," she drawls, leaning over the desk excitedly. She must be the gossipy type. "Master Kyoya-san got beat up at school. Real ugly, they say. I heard that the girl who did it, she's still not been caught. Girl like that needs to be locked up, I'll say." She leans back and examines long, purple painted fingernails. "Anyone who could beat up someone an' walk away wifout any guilt belongs in chains."

"Right," I draw out the word, hiding a snicker. I look out of the corner of my eye to see Takumi's lips tightening around the corners. "So why can't we see him?"

"Dunno." She sounds like she's getting really annoyed with us. "You should probably just leave before I call someone to make ya."

"You should probably not talk to her like that," Takumi interjects. "We have something important Kyoya would like to see, so if you'd please let us in, we promise we'll be gone before anyone can notice."

"Sorry, sweetheart," she drawls, popping a lime green gum bubble with her teeth in Takumi's face, making him blink with surprise. "Can't let ya through. Gotta have a special appointment."

"Fine, okay," I drum my fingers on the counter, irritated. "We'll just be going then."

I pull Takumi moodily away from the receptionist and plop angrily in a plastic chair, tapping my finger on my arms and chewing my bottom lip. After a moment of silent brooding, I turn to Takumi and ask, "You can find the room right?"

"Already on it," Takumi says distantly, his laptop already perched on his knees, typing madly. I purse my lips and wait impatiently as he works, scanning the room for any possible means of getting past the receptionist without her seeing.

I consider ducking under the curved counter, out of her line of sight, but conclude that would be suspicious to the other occupants of the waiting room. The next idea is a little bit better; maybe we could look around the building and find a fire escape of some kind, but I brush it aside when I notice the smoke alarm mounted to the hallway wall. They'd be connect to the fire escape doors if the Ootori Group is as trustworthy as they say they are. My final idea is probably the safest. We could cause a distraction of some sort, and escape in the chaos.

"Done," Takumi says, turning his laptop towards me. His screen shows a blueprint of the third floor of the hospital. He taps a room on the far corner, away from the street, a room marked on the print as 399. He leans closer to me and asks over the screen, "So, how are we getting past the receptionist?"

"A distraction would be the best idea," I murmur. "If we could set off the fire alarms somehow, I'll bet the building would go into lockdown."

"How are we going to move around if it's locked down?"

"Simple," I say, studying the blueprint once more. "Hospitals have staff rooms, right? So we get doctor's costumes."

"Easy enough," he agrees. "I can activate the fire alarms digitally. I can also lock Ootori Kyoya-san's room door, since it's all on a linked electronic locking system" Smiling calmly, he pulls up a complicated looking guard-access security database, toggles a few settings, and presses a button with finality.

Almost immediately, the fire alarms start blaring.

People look up frantically. The receptionist drops her bottle of Coke and stands abruptly as the sticky brown liquid splashes over the sleek countertop.

"Everyone!" She calls fruitlessly. "Go on, leave, but _order, please!_ "

Through the crowd, Takumi, tucking his laptop safely in its case and slinging the strap over his shoulder, he slips straight past the preoccupied people and down the hall. With halfhearted, fake panic, he and I walk briskly in the opposite way of the main exit. After a consultation of a wall-mounted map, we find the nearest staff supply room and slip inside, closing the door and muffling the sound of the fire alarm.

"So, what do we need?" Takumi asks. Moving among the rows of standing shelves that seem to stretch for eternity.

"Well, if we're going to get your computer past the people, we're going to need one of those metal rolling bed things," I suggest, pointing to a row of extras lined up on one wall. Takumi tugs one out of the line and wheels it out to where I'm standing. He shoves his computer case under the mattress, and flattens it down so it's almost unnoticeable.

"What next?"

"Um… They don't seem to have any uniforms…" I ponder, my eyes scrolling over the items along the shelves. I turn around, only to see Takumi grinning, holding up a single white laboratory style coat. He slips it over his shoulder, having to roll up the sleeves a little bit.

"There's only one," he says nervously. "And you're too young to be a doctor. You look fourteen."

"Do not!" I protest, but refuse to pursue the argument. I lay myself down on the rolling bed and pull the light blue sheets up to my chin to hide my clothing that obviously isn't a hospital gown. Takumi's laptop's corners dig hard into my shoulders, but I close my eyes and keep quiet.

My brother wheels me out of the staff room and down the halls, the fire alarm's wails now bursting my ears.

"Hey, kid!" A voice comes after a while. I crack open an eye to see who stopped Takumi. "Are you one of those new apprentices?"

"Yes, sir, Ootori-san," Takumi bows respectfully, his eyes flitting like they always do when he's nervous.

"Then you must know where the entrance is by now. Where are you going?"

"I- I was just-," Takumi stammers, his vibrantly blue eyes darting back and forth from my face- _keep still, keep still, don't move…_ -back to Ootori's. "Sir, I apologize, I was… erm, I… I didn't know where the… the fire was… I thought it may have been back there, so I… I didn't want her getting hurt, sir."

"How valiant of you," Ootori sniff haughtily. "I trust you can find your way to safety?"

"Yes, sir."

"Very well. I have some things I must attend to, but I expect a full report when this is all cleared away."

"Of course, sir."

With a small sigh, Takumi escapes Ootori. I experience a bump as he rolls me onto the industrial elevator, presses a button, and exhales in relief.

"That was close," Takumi sighs.

"Not really," I refute. "You're just so used to sitting behind a computer screen and not really doing anything exciting."

"Mizu! That's so-," He's cut off by the ding and the elevator doors opening. I close my eyes once more and let him wheel me down the hall, the squeaking wheels barely audible over the infuriating ringing of the fire alarms. In this part of the hospital, we're passing more desperate doctors and nurses wheeling beds and making frantically for the series of elevators lining one of the hallways.

X-***-X

It takes us until the fire department arrives to find Kyoya's room. The door handle is rattling violently, but it looks like he hasn't quite lowered himself to shouting for help. Being locking in a room, not knowing where the fire is, if there's even a fire, oh, it must be maddening. And it makes me smile.

The hallway is empty now, the fire alarms long since turned off. Down in the street, I can hear vague shouts of the fire department as they systematically scan the building from top to bottom. Takumi knock on the door and the handle stops rattling.

"Ootori-san? My name is Takumi, and I'm sorry I had to lock you in here but-" I snort, but cut myself off as Takumi casts me a withering look, "-I'm going to open the door now. We need to talk to you, so please don't run. We're not going to hurt you."

Takumi takes out his phone, punches a few characters in, and the electronic lock on the door blinks green. Slowly, Takumi eases the door open. I jump off the bed, dig under the mattress for Takumi's case, and shove it into his chest as I stroll inside.

Maybe my eyes are playing tricks on me, but I could swear I see Kyoya blanch as he sees my face.

"Kyoya," I greet, feinting warmth.

"Why are you here?" He asks bitterly, pushing his glasses onto his nose.

"Don't be like that," I snap, but reign myself in and take a deep breath. I continue, much calmer. "You can put your petty grudge aside for a minute, right? My brother Takumi, you remember him, right? Well, we're here to show you something."

Behind me, Takumi is casting glances at me as he types, his laptop balanced on one arm. I sigh, understanding, and talk to Kyoya as he pulls up the bank records.

"Look, I realize I was wrong, and it's partially-," Takumi scoffs, "- _mostly_ my fault, so… I'm sorry, Kyoya." I make my bicolored gaze meet his steely one. His arms are crossed in disapproval. "I was mad, kinda delusional, see, I had thought my whole family died, and it's still your fault that Kagami-"

"Mizuki," Takumi cuts me off. "Just be quiet. Ootori-san, these are your bank accounts, one of yours personally and one for the Host Club. This third one is under the name Fujioka. Well, Mizuki accidently encouraged a girl to hack you and I think Mizuki and those redhead twins said something about paying back Haruhi's debt and transferring her to Lobelia Girls' Academy."

Kyoya's face goes pale, and I almost laugh. Hell, he's white as the alabaster walls! His glasses catch the light's glare, and I could swear, that just for a moment, his eyes water.

"Takumi-san, was it?" He asks under his breath in a menacing tone.

"Yes."

"Perhaps you should take a look at those records once more."

Takumi presses his lips together, not a good sign, and turns the laptop around to face him. He stares at the screen, and I can only see half of his expression from the corner of my eye. He takes in a deep breath.

"Mizuki," he breathes. "What have you done?"

"Lots of things," I answer nonchalantly. "What is it?"

"The money, Mizuki. She emptied out Ootori-san's bank account. And," a few more clicks, "the Lobelia student roster has been updated. They have a new honor student."

"Dammit," I breathe. I squeeze my eyes shut, because maybe, just maybe, this is a dream. Maybe I didn't help Leiko Rin put Haruhi in Lobelia. Maybe I didn't bankrupt Kyoya. Maybe, maybe, maybe…

But when I open my eyes, I'm still in the hospital, and the last remnants of the illusion lift. It's real, and I, the infamous Ouran Illusionist, should have seen that all along. But I didn't, and I know exactly why. Leiko Rin, she's always been better than me. She told me I was good, but she _lied._ She lied, she lied, she lied, and she's been lying from the very beginning.

They say revenge is sweet, so I wait for some kind of feeling: betrayal, triumph for avenging Kagami, regret for everything that could have happened, loss, emptiness, _anything._

I wait.

And I wait.

But I feel nothing.


	19. Epilogue - Her Price

**Wow, two chapters in one day! How thrilling!**

 **I wrote this epilogue for the sole purpose of explanation and angst. Oh, and I'm an absolute, full-blown sadist, so no, I'm not sorry. (If you don't understand about Leiko Rin's charm bracelet by the end of this chapter, ask me in PM and I'll try my best to explain.)**

 **Again, if you're interested, I'm writing an OC/AU Black Butler fic. It'll probably be posted later this week, so keep an eye out for it and I'll love you forever.**

 **So, enjoy, or try to.**

The week after Kyoya was released from the hospital and he come back to Ouran, Haruhi was already gone. Tamaki told him she had left because the school was oppressive and she needed better educational opportunities, but I know the truth.

I spoke to Leiko Rin on the rooftop the day before Takumi and I were to get on a plane back to Karuizawa. I'm technically not a student here any more, but I had to come one last time. The snow has melted, the fountain, which I can still swear is tinged red, is gushing merrilly. The trees lining the drive are budding lime green leaves.

"So?" I cross my arms, not looking at the redhead standing beside me. She copies my position, her arms crossed, leaning casually over the railing. Having always been one for puzzles, and of course for illusions, I ask, "I didn't quite understand how you got Haruhi to transfer."

"Blackmail," she answers simply. "And threats. I told her that if she were to either call the police or stay at Ouran, I'd find out. The trick to that is to be vague. When did you realize you were wrong about your brother's death all along?"

"The twins helped me," I say choking on my breath at the memory, but shove it down. There's no need feeling emotional in front of this girl. "What are you going to do now?"

"Anything I want," she answers simply, propping her elbow on the railing and her chin in her palm. "We're probably not going to see each other again after this."

"And if we do?"

"If we do, then I'll be neither your friend nor your enemy." She looks at me strangely, a smirk poised on the corner of her mouth. "That all depends on you, Illusionist." With that, she turns around, but I'm not quite down with my questions.

"Wait, Leiko!" I call after her, just as she's opening the rooftop access door. She stops but doesn't turn around. "You always said that death always wins, that she always gets her price. What does that mean?"

"I'd thought you'd have figured that out by now," she sighs. "That guilt you're feeling because you feel nothing, that's her price, Mizuki."

"But, what did I pay in return?" I ask, still confused. Leiko Rin turns around at this point, and unclips something from her leather bracelet. She tosses it across the rooftop, smirks at me, and without another word, she disappears back into the building.

I open my cupped hands, and see the pale, silver-rimmed emerald charm that I was once absolutely captivated by. Knitting my brows together, I turn it around, searching for some kind of clue as to what this means. I flip it over in my hand, fogging the silver with my breath.

 _How cruel_ , I think to myself. Impaled on the pin that clips the charm to the leather is a tiny indigo flower.

All at once, Leiko Rin makes so much sense that I almost cry. She gave me what I really wanted and she took in return what really mattered. Revenge and infamy in exchange for my humanity, and in a sense, Kagami.

But that never really made any kind of difference, did it?

So I toss the charm and the flower with it off the roof, and watch with emptiness as it lands with an inaudible _ploop!_ in the fountain below.

 **X-***-X**

Eighteen hours later, Takumi and I are sitting in first class on a jet bound for Karuizawa. His hand is gripping mine tightly and he refuses to meet my eyes, opting to stare solemnly out the window. Next to me, I jump when my cell buzzes as I receive a text. I know the flight attendants warn us not to use our phones, but they can suck it as far as I'm concerned. Shielding it from view with my leg, I open it to see a message flashing from an unknown number. I open it without thought.

 _Hey. It's Kaoru. I heard you were leaving._

 _Yeah, I am. On the plane now. Is there something you need?_ I text back as soon as it registers.

 _No. Just wanted to say goodbye._ The reply is instantaneous.

 _Oh. Bye, Kaoru._

 _Bye, Mizuki._

I shove my phone under the bag sitting in my lap when a flight attendant walks by, half hoping it would buzz again, and half praying it won't.

I'm not sure if I feel relieved or disappointed when it stays still.


End file.
